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Good morning, Northwest.

Election Day is tomorrow. Voters in Oregon and Southwest Washington have until 8 p.m. Tuesday to submit their ballots.

OPB politics reporter Bryce Dole briefs us on some of the biggest issues before voters ahead of tomorrow’s voting deadline to start today’s newsletter.

Also this morning, an “anti-architecture” achitectural walking tour of Portland.

Here’s your First Look at Monday’s news.

— Bradley W. Parks

Top story

6 things to know about the election in the Pacific Northwest

It’s the eve of a highly anticipated midterm election, and voters are flocking en masse to ballot boxes across the Pacific Northwest.

The ballot includes a rematch the Oregon’s governorship and a congressional race in Southwest Washington that could determine control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

So far, voter turnout is outpacing the 2022 midterm elections. Nationwide, the GOP is trying to maintain its majority, despite President Trump’s unpopularity, which has Democrats predicting a blue wave.

In Oregon, Democrats are seeking to hold on to their supermajority power in the Legislature and retain the state’s top office.

Here’s what you need to know heading into Tuesday’s election. (Bryce Dole)

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3 things to know

• After a night of trick-or-treating, dozens of families continued the festivities into yesterday afternoon at a Día de los Muertos celebration in Portland. Women and girls dressed as La Catrina for the Mexican holiday that honors the dead at the beginning of November. (Jireh Deng)
• We wanted to learn more about the work of nonpartisan officials who administer elections in most Oregon counties. For OPB’s “At Work With” series, we tagged along with Tillamook County Clerk Christy Nyseth as she geared up for Election Day on Nov. 3. (Jenn Chávez)
• The Oregon Zoo’s baby elephant Tula-Tu has taken sick with elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus, or EEHV, and the zoo’s director of animal health, Dr. Carlos Sanchez, said the animal has remained stable. (KLCC staff)

Take a walking tour of downtown Portland architecture

For the past 25 years, journalist and critic Brian Libby has covered architecture, visual art and film in Portland. His new book “In Search of Portland” is a kind of love letter to the Rose City. OPB “Morning Edition” host Jess Hazel took a meandering walk with Libby through downtown to learn more about the city and see it through his eyes. (Jess Hazel and Julie Sabatier)

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Northwest headlines

• A morning with a Bend family returning to school after the Silver Rail shooting (Saskia Hatvany)
• Drain’s Pass Creek Covered Bridge added to the National Registry of Historic Places (Zac Ziegler, KLCC)
• More than a third of western states’ glacial cover has been lost since 1950s as planet warms (Alex Baumhardt, Oregon Capital Chronicle)
• A Spokane Tribe member turned his love for running into a living history lesson (Audrey Nelson, Spokane Public Radio)
• Oregon needs more youth ‘respite’ homes, but funding problems stand in the way (Danielle Dawson, InvestigateWest)
• City project asks for stories of Black experience in Eugene (Rachael McDonald, KLCC)
• A plan to reconnect the Klamath River with wetlands clears a design milestone (Juliet Grable, JPR)
• Timbers move into playoff position with 3-1 victory over Dynamo (AP)

Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation

“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):

• Retiring Hermiston chaplain reflects on 25 years of counseling first responders
• Vancouver and Keizer menders want to keep repair culture alive

One more look

Beyond brick and mortar: A literary walking tour of Portland’s architecture

Brian Libby has lived and worked in Portland as a journalist for more than 25 years.

In his new book “In Search of Portland: Exploring a Transforming City,” he peels back layers of the city’s history.

He calls the book a kind of “anti-architecture” architectural walking tour. That sentiment comes across when he writes about how the Rose City incorporates nature into its design.

“What’s great about this city is the fact that it’s nestled in this incredible natural setting between the Cascade mountains and the ocean, or between the West Hills and the Willamette River,” Libby said. “Weaving the city together with nature is really what Portland’s all about.” (Jess Hazel)

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/11/02/election-day-preview-first-look/