Ballot Error on West Linn City Council Race, Contest to Move to Special Election in March

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--October 6, 2022

West Linn, OR — An error has been identified on the November ballot in the West Linn City Council
contest. The ballot incorrectly instructs voters to choose one candidate. However, the contest is not
winner take all. The City Charter states that two candidates from the contest will win a seat on the
council.

The error originated with the City of West Linn, which sent incorrect information to County elections
officials. To remedy this mistake, the contest will move to a special election in March.

“We deeply regret this mistake,” said City Manager John Williams. “Candidates worked hard to get their
campaigns up and running and voters expect to elect city councilors this fall. Unfortunately, delaying the
contest is necessary to limit the impact of the error and ensure a fair election for everyone involved. We
take this seriously and we are taking steps to ensure it never happens again.”

Upon learning of the error, State elections officials directed Clackamas County to explore two possible
remedies: reprinting the ballots or rerunning the election. It was quickly determined that reprinting this
close to an election was not possible. State elections officials then directed the City of West Linn to
rerun the election at a later date.

The City will send a mailer to all West Linn voters informing them of the issue, and will launch paid
digital and print media campaigns, among other measures, to publicize the change widely as possible.
Regular reminders will run until the special election is held. November ballots will go out as planned
with the incorrect instructions. The results for the West Linn City Council contest will be discarded. No
other contests will be affected, including those for the West Linn Bond Measure and for West Linn
Municipal Judge, and voters are strongly encouraged to vote the ballot as they otherwise normally
would.