Clackamas County boasts ten percent of Oregon’s population. According to the design of our representative democracy, Clackamas County should have ten percent of the thirty Oregon Senate seats, but the people of Clackamas County do not have that distinction. Instead, there are eight Oregon Senate Districts that touch Clackamas County. Most of them are a finger touch with a minimal Clackamas County population.

Only one Oregon Senate District is fully within the boundaries of Clackamas County. That is Senate District 20 which is currently served by Senator Bill Kennemer of Canby.

One other Oregon Senate District has a significant Clackamas County population. That is Senate District 26 which stretches from The Dalles in Wasco County, through and including all of Hood River County, into Multnomah County and the communities of Corbett and Springdale. The Senate District 26 population of these three counties amounts to about 50,000 people.

Senate District 26 also includes the Villages of Mount Hood, the Cities of Sandy, Estacada and Canby, the communities of Boring, Beavercreek, Eagle Creek and Mulino which are all in Clackamas County. The Clackamas County population in Senate District 26 approaches 90,000 people. 65% of the population of Senate District 26 are Clackamas County residents.

Gerrymandering has taken its toll over the years, and now Clackamas County is facing its worst fate. If the Clackamas County voters do not intervene, Clackamas County will not be represented by a Clackamas County Senator in District 26.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Of the four, there is only one candidate who lives in Clackamas County. The fact is, gerrymandering has kept Clackamas County from receiving its due in Salem. Over the past 30 years, there has never been three Clackamas County residing Senators. It has been over a dozen years since there were two. As a result, all of the communities of Senate District 26 and other areas of Clackamas County have been under represented. Clackamas County’s voice has been muted on many issues.

2022 can be the first time Clackamas County has two Oregon Senators who live in Clackamas County and care about Clackamas County issues. Oregon Senate Candidate Steve Bates lives in Boring. 70% of the population of Senate District 26 lives within 35 miles of Bates’ Boring home. Bates is the only candidate who is centrally located to serve all of the people of the District.


--Les Poole

Post Date: 2022-04-05 13:19:06

Last Update: 2022-04-05 15:15:44