Wasco County Clerk Lisa Gambee, who oversees the local elections process, is getting a lot of phone calls that reflect confusion about the difference between an “unaffiliated” or “Independent” voter. She said the calls began after the Oregon Capital Bureau reported that the Independent Party of Oregon (IPO) had opened its primary to unaffiliated voters.

Wasco County Clerk Lisa Gambee is seeking to educate special districts about election rules after dealing with a variety of challenges to get seats filled this year. She said some of the incumbents with Tygh Valley fire and water districts did not know that they had to file to run for positions in the May 16 election.