The May ballot in Deschutes County is crammed with local candidates coming from different walks of life — a pastor, a medic, a rancher and a teacher are among the gaggle of 15 people seeking to represent one of the fastest-growing, most politically-diverse communities in the state.

This year local voters will elect four of them as county commissioners, with only one incumbent in the mix. The winners stand to influence some of the most complex problems Central Oregon residents face, from homelessness and conflicts over rural development, to wildfire preparedness and where the first new landfill built in the state in decades might go.

OPB recently surveyed each candidate to ask how they would approach essential issues shaping the election.

Deschutes County May 2026 ballot candidates:

Their responses underscored how the chance to serve in an expanding local government has drawn an eclectic group of people with vastly different ideas and approaches.

For example, in a six-way race for one seat, Samuel Facey said he wants to represent the younger generation. He defended using AI to write his answers to our survey, calling it a “vital tool.” Another hopeful for the same spot, Gary Campbell, is leaning on his 50 years of residency in the region. He wrote out his responses on notebook paper.

It’s an illustrative contrast in a region with communities spanning the rural-urban spectrum. Over the last decade the county’s population has grown by an estimated 25%. Bend, the county seat and home to roughly half of Deschutes residents, leans Democratic, while the surrounding, more rural areas are dominated by non-affiliated and Republican voters. Though officially nonpartisan, the county commission has long been controlled by Republican leaders.

But this election could upend that dynamic. For the first time, the board will have five members.

Deschutes voters increased their political representation in 2024 by expanding the three-seat commission.

This could lead to “a more moderate-leaning county commission,” said political scientist Judith Stiegler, a former Democratic state representative who teaches at Central Oregon Community College.

The influence the board has over county services is broad, she added, noting that the commissioners set budgets and policies impacting everything from the district attorney’s office to the sheriff’s office and health department. And they shape what gets built in Central Oregon’s largest county.

“Land use and planning is a big part of their bucket,” Steigler said.

Steering development

In a region strapped for housing and water, which development projects commissioners greenlight and how land is zoned can carry heavy consequences, or trigger lengthy legal battles.

Since 2007, the commission has re-zoned about 1,300 acres of Deschutes County from exclusive farm use to be eligible for residential or commercial development, according to county spokesperson Kim Katchur.

Proponents of these changes say that rezoning allows developers to build much-needed affordable housing outside of city boundaries, while regional watchdog groups maintain that some proposed developments violate state land use laws.

For a case study in how commission decision-making can fuel decades-long conflicts, consider the proposed Thornburgh destination resort.

The developer’s vision was initially approved by county leadership in 2005, with plans to build nearly 1,000 single family homes, golf courses, private lakes and a luxury hotel on 2,400 acres near Redmond. But the developer of the proposed site has been tied up in litigation and appeals since that approval.

Homelessness

The number of people experiencing homelessness in Central Oregon outpaced the national average last year, according to the annual census conducted for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In a first, the Deschutes County board of commissioners partnered with the city of Redmond last year to create a 36-site managed camp, where people without housing will be allowed to sleep in vehicles and tents. The camp is set to open in summer, according to Deputy County Administrator Erik Kropp. The county budgeted $500,000 to fund the first two years and is now looking to hire a third-party operator.

In a separate city-county partnership, Deschutes commissioners and Bend city councilors agreed to run a 170-acre temporary stay safe area in 2024. Located just north of Bend in an area known as Juniper Ridge, the project offers basic services like water and trash pickup for people living in vehicles or in tents on the property.

The effort is a stopgap, though, and elected officials have approved plans to close the area down in 2027.

Under the commission’s direction, the county also provides services for people with substance use and mental health disorders and gives direct funding to non-profit shelters.

Preparing for the worst

Last week, an escaped burn in La Pine caused Level 3, go-now evacuation orders for nearby homes. It was a stark reminder for Deschutes County residents that wildfire season is quickly approaching and could be worse this year following a record-breaking dry winter.

Over the last couple of years, wildfires have come dangerously close to making a run through cities in the county. The Flat Fire in Sisters last year threatened thousands of homes. And in 2024, the Darlene 3 fire near La Pine and the Bachelor Complex fire west of Sunriver caused evacuation orders for thousands of people.

The county commission approves natural hazard mitigation plans to address the risk of wildfire danger along with threats from winter storms and extreme heat.

This year, they took the added step of adopting a set of fire-hardening requirements for new dwellings and accessory units to align with state wildfire mitigation standards. The new code takes effect on April 1. The city of Sisters also adopted the codes and Bend councilors directed staff this month to look into following suit.

Landfill decisions ahead

Knott Landfill, Deschutes County’s current solid waste facility, is just a few years away from reaching full capacity. But the current county commission stalled on choosing a site for a new landfill after a proposed location fell through last year.

The next commission could play a crucial role in setting up Oregon’s first new landfill in more than 30 years.

In addition to finding a site for – and building – a new facility, the board of commissioners will oversee the county’s efforts to reach the state’s Department of Environmental Quality goal of diverting 45% of would-be landfill waste to recycling. At last count in 2022, the county was only diverting 27% of its waste.

District map could remake the political landscape, again

All four commission spots on the ballot are at-large – meaning candidates can run for any position and voters countywide decide the winners.

But depending on the outcome of a November ballot measure, some newly-elected commissioners could become ineligible for reelection.

That’s because a contentious district map is also on the November ballot. If approved by voters, the board would transform again in 2028 from at-large elections to representatives from specific geographic areas.

Critics of the proposed districts say they will give unfair voting power to conservatives in less populated, rural outposts. Supporters argue that districts provide needed consideration for people who live outside of the Bend metro area.

The commission candidates are split, with five in favor, eight opposed and two noncommittal.

If the map passes, “it gets to be pretty complicated and confusing,” said Stiegler, the political science instructor. “The possibility is there that some of the folks who are running, may be living in a district that doesn’t coordinate with what they were elected to.”

Commission candidates who get the majority vote for their position will be elected in the May primary. In races without a majority winner, the top two-vote getters head to the November general election.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/26/deschutes-county-2026-may-election-central-oregon/