The City of Salem says the next formal step in certifying results from the recent City Council elections will come before the Salem City Council on June 22.
According to a city statement, once election results are certified by county elections officials and received by the city, the Salem City Council receives a canvass of votes and issues a proclamation of election results. The canvass of votes includes the vote totals for city elective offices, while the proclamation formally announces the election results.
Because Salem includes areas in both Marion and Polk counties, the process involves both county elections offices. The Polk County Clerk provides city election information to the Marion County Clerk. Marion County then compiles the information and provides it to the Salem City Recorder. The Marion County Clerk prepares the official canvass of votes for city races.
The canvass of votes and proclamation of election results are scheduled to appear on the Salem City Council agenda for June 22, 2026. The City Recorder has until September 3, 2026, to submit the names of candidates for the November general election ballot to county elections officials.
One of the races still drawing attention is the Ward 8 City Council election.
Under Salem’s election process, the results of the primary determine which candidates advance to the November general election. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the primary — meaning 50 percent plus one vote — the top two qualifying candidates move on to the general election. The candidate receiving the most votes in November is then elected.
Polk County has indicated it may conduct a recount on June 25 for the Ward 8 position. The city says people seeking more information about the potential recount should contact the Polk County Clerk’s Office.
The city also noted that the last time a Salem City Council race advanced to a runoff was in November 2022 for the Ward 4 seat. That race involved candidates Dynee Medlock and Deanna Gwyn.
The city is also reviewing the Ward 6 City Council election.
According to the city, the Marion County elections official has certified that Betsy Vega received a majority of the votes for the Ward 6 seat. Now that the election results have been certified, the City Recorder is required to issue a certificate of nomination to qualifying candidates and authorize their names to appear on the November ballot.
However, the City Recorder will first review information concerning Vega’s candidate qualifications. That determination will be made after June 22.
If Vega is determined to be eligible to receive the nomination, the city will declare her the sole nominee for the Ward 6 council seat in the November general election. Her name would then be included in the list submitted by the City Recorder to county elections officials by the September 3 deadline.
If Vega is determined to be ineligible, the City Recorder will not issue the certificate of nomination.
In that case, the city says Oregon law and Salem Revised Code provide that if a candidate nominated at the primary becomes ineligible, candidates for the office must be nominated by individual nominating petitions in the same manner used for the primary election.
That would mean any qualified voter in Ward 6 who has lived in the ward continuously since November 3, 2025, could file a nominating petition for the November election.
The city says if that process becomes necessary, it will issue a statement outlining how prospective candidates can file petitions for the Ward 6 City Council seat.
