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Wheeler County Court, Oregon

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The Wheeler County Court resides in Oregon. Click on the links below to learn more about the court's...

Jurisdiction

This court holds the following jurisdiction:[1]

County Courts exist in seven eastern Oregon counties. The Board of Commissioners in those counties acts as the County Court, each with a county judge who also chairs the county commission and has limited judicial functions. The county judge, whose primary job involves non-judicial administrative responsibilities as chair of the county commission, may handle either probate and juvenile cases, or both, within the county.[2]

Selection method

See also: Judicial selection in the states
See also: Nonpartisan election of judges

Judges of the Oregon County Courts are each elected to six-year terms.[3][4] The elections for this court are nonpartisan contested elections. To serve on this court, a judge must be a U.S. citizen, a state elector and a county resident for one year.[5]

Judicial elections in Oregon

See also: Oregon judicial elections

Oregon is one of 10 states that uses nonpartisan elections to select judges and does not use retention elections for subsequent terms. To read more about how states use judicial elections to select judges across the country, click here.

Primary election

The primary election is held in even-numbered years on the third Tuesday in May.[6]

If a candidate in the primary election receives more than 50% of the vote, she or he is elected. If not, the two candidates with the most votes advance to the general election. The exception to this rule is when the election is for a vacated seat that would not otherwise have been on the ballot.

All judicial races require a primary election except those to fill a midterm vacancy for a seat that would otherwise have not appeared on the ballot that year. In the case of such a midterm vacancy, the primary may be skipped if only one or two candidates file for that office. If there are three or more candidates running for that seat, however, they compete in the primary. If any of them receives over 50% of the vote in the primary, that candidate's name appears unopposed on the general election ballot. If no candidate receives a majority, then the top two candidates advance to the general election. This differs from regular judicial elections that are held at the end of a judge's term in that no candidates can be elected at the primary.[7]

Recounts

Close races may trigger an automatic recount. If the difference between the two highest-voted candidates is not more than one-fifth of one percent of the total votes for both candidates, a recount is required.[8] If, after a recount, two candidates are tied, the winner is decided by lot.[9]

Vote by mail

Oregon votes completely by mail. Registered voters receive a ballot two to three weeks prior to the election, which they must submit by mail or by dropping it in an official drop box. The deadline by which ballots must be received is 8 p.m. on the day of the election.[10]

See also

External links

Footnotes