If, like me, you haven't yet received your ballot by mail, don't stress.

YOU CAN STILL VOTE. You probably moved and didn't update your address at the County Clerk's office.

Getting a a replacement ballot is easy if you follow the simple steps below. I just got one and cast my vote, all in less than 30 minutes. Be sure to bring your our Oregon driver's license and Our Crack Election Guide.

Here's what to do.

Step 1:

Former House Majority Leader and Central Oregon Builders Association President Tim Knopp will be at the Deschutes Library tonight with Democratic rival Geri Hauser for a League of Women Voters forum. The two are running for Senate Seat 54 that is currenty held by Bend’s Chris Telfer who was defeated by Knopp in the Republican primary.

The program starts at 5:15. The LWV did not provide information regarding the format, however the organization typical conducts moderated debates that allow candidates to expound on their positions with a small amount of time allotted to give and take rebuttals. Deschutes Library, 601 NW Wall.

Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.  ~George Jean Nathan

Gain the insight you need to make thoughtful choices this November by attending one or more of the election events and candidate forums scheduled this week.

This evening the Oregon League of Conservation Voters hosts Pints and Politics with Deschutes County Commissioner Alan Unger. Unger is running for re-election against current City Council member Tom Greene. 7-9pm The Wine Shop and Tasting Bar, 55 NW Minnesota Ave.

A forum for Bend City Council Positions 1 and 3 will be held Thursday, September 27. The candidates for Position 1 are Victor Chudowsky, Wade Fagen and Barb Campbell. Position 3 candidates are Kathie Eckman, Ron Boozel and Sally Russell. 5:15 Bend City Hall, 710 NW Wall St.

We had our eye on a few key races during the May 15 election. These are the unofficial results from those contests as of 9 p.m. Tuesday night, with all precincts reporting, according to the Deschutes County Clerk's Office. Full election results for Deschutes County can be found here.

United States President

Rick Santorum—6.18%

Ron Paul—8.89%

Newt Gingrich—5.31%

Voting for the May 15 election closes in 2 hours and 41 minutes.

It's time to find your ballot under the pile of mail you've been ignoring, fill it out and get it down to any of the drop boxes listed below before 8 p.m. tonight!

Bend

Deschutes Service Center Drop Box

The Republican primary campaign for Senate District 54 is entering its final stretch as incumbent and former Bend city councilor Chris Telfer tries to off a well-funded challenge from local Republican heavyweight and former House Majority Leader Tim Knopp.

While Knopp has pledged to keep the discussion on policy issues including taxes and economic growth, his supporters aren’t playing by the same rules. Oregon Right to Life opened up the ground offensive recently with a mailer that features a picture of a fetus and the claim that "only one candidate will stand up for her right to live."  (Telfer is pro-choice, but has downplayed the issue)

Like several of Knopp’s own campaign materials, the mailer (below)  attacks Telfer for failing to support issues that came before the legislature when Knopp served, but Telfer had yet to be elected. In this case, a parental notification intiative that was defeated by voters in 2006 (The proposed law would have required girls over the age of 15 to get a parents approval before seeking an abortion.)

Democrat Dallas Brown has dropped out of the race for county commissioner, ending his bid to unseat fellow democrat Alan Unger, the former Redmond mayor who has served one term on the county commission. A perennial candidate for office, Brown ran unsuccessfully against Tony DeBone for a seat on the county commission last year. However, his decision to run against an incumbent in his own party reportedly caught many dems by surprise.

On Thursday, Brown, who works in sales at Combined Communications and currently sits on the Bend Parks Board threw his support behind his would-be rival, saying in a press release that, “With what’s at stake in November, I have recognized the importance of uniting behind a strong voice for the commission. Alan Unger has been an exemplary public servant and I will work towards supporting his re-election.”

While Brown’s decision comes too late to remove his name from the May primary ballot, he made clear that he would be putting his own resources toward Unger’s reelection, including any additional campaign donations.

A political moderate, Unger is the only democrat on the Deschutes County commission. Assuming that he advances through the primary, he will face either Phil Henderson, a local homebuilder, or Tom Greene Bend City Councilor and local realtor.

Thousands of Deschutes County voters will soon learn that they will be casting a vote in a different precinct in local elections and may have a different representative in Salem thanks to last year’s redistricting legislation. More 39,000 residents either switched precincts or moved House and Senate districts. The change won’t affect how or when voters cast a ballot, but it will determine who they see on their ballot.

For instance, while most of Bend remains in House Dist. 54, represented by Bend Republican Jason Conger, many in northeast Bend are now represented by Mike McLane of Powell Butte.  

The notification will be mailed out this week in advance of the upcoming May primary.

They can be viewed online at the county clerk’s website.

Two Republicans challengers of Democrat Alan Unger, 60, officially joined the race for county commissioner today by submitting filings with the Deschutes County Clerk’s Office. Phil Henderson, 56, will vie against fellow Republican Tom Greene, 58, who is a current Bend City Councilor, in the May primary for a spot on the November ballot.

The Deschutes County Commission is a three-person board that governs the county. Compensation for commissioners is roughly $80,000 per year. Unger, who is a former Redmond mayor, has served on the board since 2009.

Henderson, a bend attorney and businessman, has not held elected office, but has served on the Bend Budget Committee and as a board member for United Way of Deschutes County and the Heart Institute of the Cascades. He believes his experience in the private sector, including as President of Sun Forest Construction, has prepared him for the position.

“I learned in the private sector long ago that people have to be accountable for the money they spend,” said Henderson in a press release sent today. “We need to insure those values are upheld here in Deschutes County.”

Greene is a former real estate agent and worked in law enforcement with the United State Air Force. He announced his candidacy last fall at the same time his recent bankruptcy was disclosed, which he said was related to his work in the real estate industry. The city councilor has served on several other Central Oregon boards including the Bend Budget Committee, Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council and the Bend Metropolitan Planning Organization.