Marion County Clerk To Issue Several Supplemental Ballots - 05/13/26

SALEM, OR — Marion County Clerk Elections staff identified two situations related to the May 19, 2026 Primary Election, for which Supplemental Ballots will be issued. 

For a small area in south Salem on Devon Ave SE, 20 voters received ballots that did not include the opportunity to vote for the City of Salem Mayor, Municipal Court Judge, and with City Council-Ward 4 position. 20 voters were impacted.

Separately, related to a tiny house development where units share a common street address at 8372 Enchanted Way SE, 160 individuals did not receive a ballot with the opportunity to vote on Cascade School District Measure 24-524 (Bonds to Improve and Repair Schools; Maintain Bond Tax Rate).

The Clerk’s Office will be sending 160 supplemental Cascade School District measure ballots to voters at 8372 Enchanted Way SE and 20 supplemental City of Salem ballots, with city positions, to voters on Devon Ave SE.

Both situations are being remedied quickly. Marion County Clerk staff remain devoted to election integrity, transparency, and ensuring the accuracy of Oregon’s voting system.

Effected voters will be mailed a supplemental ballot including only the missing offices. Voters should submit their already-issued ballot plus the supplemental ballot when received.

Effected voters are encouraged to watch their mail for a supplemental ballot, and to make sure the ballot is delivered to a drop box by 8pm on Tuesday, May 19. With the election less than one week away, voters are encouraged to drop off their ballot at a drop box location, rather than via mail.

Alternatively, effected voters may come into the Marion County Clerk’s office at 555 Court Street NE, 2nd Floor, Salem, OR 97301 to obtain and vote a supplemental ballot.

Supplemental ballots will be tracked and tabulated separately for full transparency.

If you have questions, you are welcome to call the Marion County Clerk’s Office at (503) 588-5041 or email elections@co.marion.or.us.

County Sues U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers Over Plan To Drain Detroit Lake (Photo) - 05/13/26

SALEM, OR — Today, the Marion County Board of Commissioners formally announced that the county has filed a lawsuit asking the United States District Court to order the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to pause efforts to drain Detroit Lake until the Army Corps completes the turbidity report required by federal law and allows informed public comments. Congress required the Army Corps to evaluate lessons learned from turbidity problems caused by a similar draining of nearby Green Peter Lake, but the Army Corps is over four months past the legal deadline. The announcement that the lawsuit was filed today was made during a regularly scheduled Board Session.

The Army Corps has proposed draining Detroit Lake to such a low level that it risks having insufficient water for municipal, agricultural, recreational, and environmental uses. And, available water will have higher turbidity, harming water quality and costing downstream cities like Stayton and Salem millions of dollars in infrastructure repairs/upgrades. In December 2025 and January 2026, Marion County submitted multiple formal letters to the Army Corps voicing strong concerns and requesting modifications to address the many foreseeable risks.

“The damage to downstream water systems due to the Army Corps’ irresponsible draining of Green Peter Lake was not theoretical” said Commissioner Colm Willis, Chair. “It was real, it was catastrophic, and it caused millions of dollars in damages to downstream water systems in the cities of Lebanon and Sweet Home. The City of Salem has already declared an emergency and smaller communities like Stayton are scrambling to try to prevent similar damage to their water systems. The Corps should follow the law and revise its plan to ensure our downstream communities are protected.”

“Our residents depend on clean, reliable drinking water,” said Commissioner Kevin Cameron. “The Army Corps should complete the turbidity analysis required by law before taking on any risks that could harm our community’s drinking water.”

Beyond the risks to drinking water, a deep draining of Green Peter Lake in 2023 caused the loss of more than one million kokanee salmon, many killed by barotrauma. The Corps’ own biologists confirmed the cause. The current proposal by the Army Corps acknowledged that draining Detroit Lake could harm fish populations, but it did not fully analyze how a largescale fish kill would affect the broader ecosystem.

With Santiam Canyon communities still recovering from the 2020 Labor Day wildfires, recreation at Detroit Lake remains essential to their economic stability. Draining the lake during the fall and winter months stands to significantly disrupt recreation access, harm local businesses, and compound the long-term impacts many already face after the fires.

“Any changes to Detroit Lake’s water level must be grounded in data-backed science with meaningful protections in place for our downstream communities,” said Commissioner Danielle Bethell. “This lawsuit seeks to address the Army Corps’ lack of compliance with federal law and protect our local residents from potentially catastrophic results. We will continue working to ensure that decisions made at the federal level align with the needs of local communities, focusing on drinking water and our canyon recovery.”

“Night Court” Is Coming To Marion County — But This One Is Real - 05/07/26

Marion County, Oregon — Fans of the classic television show Night Court may remember the late-night courtroom antics and unusual cases. Marion County’s new Night Court program will be far less comedic — but it is designed with a serious purpose: increasing access to justice for the community.

This summer, Marion County Justice Court is launching a new “Night Court” initiative that will offer select evening court sessions entirely online. The pilot program is intended to make court more accessible for working residents, law enforcement officers, and others who may struggle to appear during traditional daytime hours.

Night Court proceedings will be held a limited number of times each month and will include certain traffic trials, as well as an ex parte docket where individuals may petition the court during evening hours.

“Access to justice means making the justice system accessible to the people we serve,” said Justin Kidd. “For many people, taking time off work to appear in court can be difficult or financially burdensome. Offering online evening proceedings gives community members another option that is both practical and convenient.”

The evening schedule is also expected to benefit law enforcement officers — particularly those working night shifts — by providing greater flexibility for court appearances.

The program springs from the court’s recent remodel. While the court building was under renovation, the court held only virtual trials for about a month.  Customers and law enforcement officers indicated that they enjoyed the flexibility and accessibility of online trials. Judge Kidd also found that virtual trials were an effective way to hold court outside normal business hours. 

“It was an epiphany,” said Kidd, “For safety and operations reasons, I need at least four clerks, plus a judge and a security person, to hold a trial while the building is open.  But when the building is closed, I can run a trial with just one judge and one clerk.” The streamlined staffing makes online night court a cost-effective way to increase access to justice.

As part of the program’s rollout, the Marion County Justice Court will also begin seeking applications for a paid pro-tem judge position to assist with the Night Court docket. Interested parties are encouraged to reach out to Judge Kidd to discuss the pro-tem process.