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Jackson County voters in minority on most statewide races and measures By Damian Mann Updated: Nov 17, 2022 02:08 PM A A State Rep. Kim Wallan, R-Medford, left, and Nick Card, who won a seat on Medford City Council, look at election numbers during a Republican gathering at the Rogue Valley Country Club Nov. 8. [Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune] Jackson County bucked voting trends for most statewide races and measures this election and continued to align politically with rural areas of the state. Republicans outnumber Democrats by 5,284 registered voters in this county, which cast more votes for Republican Christine Drazan against Democrat Tina Kotek in the governor’s race and for Republican Joe Rae Perkins in her bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon. Kotek won by almost 4 percentage points statewide, but lost by 16 points in Jackson County, and Wyden took the state with a 16-percentage point lead but lost in Jackson County by 4%, according to the latest results released by the Oregon Secretary of State. This county did vote similarly to the rest of the state for Betsy Johnson, who ran an insurgent campaign as an unaffiliated candidate for governor. Johnson, who attracted a lot of attention at the outset of her race, mustered 7% of the vote in Jackson County and 8% statewide. Jackson County joined 29 of Oregon’s 36 counties that threw their support behind Drazan. The seven counties that gave Kotek her win are generally in the northern part of the state and are the most populous, including Multnomah. Wyden won 10 of the state’s counties. On ballot measures, this county voted overwhelmingly against three of the four ballot measures that won statewide. The county said no to Measure 114 by an 8% margin, but what has been hailed as one of the strictest firearm laws in the country won the state by just over 1 percentage point. Measure 112, which removes language in the Constitution concerning slavery and indentured servitude, won the state by 11 percentage points but lost in Jackson County by a 7% margin. Measure 111, which enshrines affordable health care into the Oregon Constitution, won by a slim 1% margin statewide, but lost by about 10 percentage points in this county. In Josephine and Klamath counties Measure 111 lost by a 2-1 margin. Many other rural parts of the state rejected most of the ballot measures by an even wider margin than Jackson County. One thing on which this county did agree with other voters statewide is making sure legislators don’t stage walkouts in Salem. Measure 113, which would disqualify a legislator from running for office again after having 10 unexcused absences, won handily statewide and in Jackson County. For many years, this county has held a Republican majority, and the breakdown of registered voters Tuesday shows the GOP with 5,284 more than Democrats. Of the 160,298 registered voters in Jackson County, 43,944 are Democrats, 49,228 are Republicans and 55,725 are nonaffiliated, with the remaining parties adding up to 11,401, according to Jackson County Elections. Nonaffiliated, or registered voters who don’t belong to any political party, make up the largest bloc of voters. Only 40.1% of nonaffilateds voted in the Nov. 8 election. Republican turnout was the strongest at 82.8% compared with Democrats’ 78.2%. In all other parties, 65.5% voted. Overall, 65.5% of voters cast a ballot, according to Jackson County Clerk Chris Walker. That means 34.5% of voters chose not to participate, she added The number of nonaffiliated voters has increased steadily over the past 20 years, ultimately eclipsing the number of Republicans or Democrats in the county. Voter turnout this election is roughly equivalent to past midterm elections. In 2018, turnout was at 67.48%, and in 2014, it was 70.16%. During presidential elections, turnout — which represents the number of voters who cast a ballot — has run up to 80%. The number of voters in Jackson County has increased markedly over the years, propelled by the Oregon Motor Voter Law, passed in 2016, which automatically registers people to vote when they obtain a driver’s license. Reach freelance writer Damian Mann at [email protected].