Oregon House of Representatives District 51

Oregon's fifty-first state house district is represented by Democratic Representative Janelle Bynum.

Oregon state representatives represent an average of 63,851 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 57,023 residents.

About the chamber

Members of the Oregon House of Representatives serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Oregon legislators assume office the second Monday in January.^[1]

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

According to Article IV, Section 8 of the Oregon Constitution, candidates for the Oregon State Legislature must meet the following qualifications:^[2]

Be a citizen of the United States,
Be at least 21 years of age,
Be an inhabitant of the district from which the Senator or Representative may be chosen for at least one year preceding the election (or from January 1 if a reapportionment year),
Not be convicted of a felony (unless the conviction happened prior to winning the election and the sentence received for the conviction is completed prior to the date that person would take office if elected.)

In 2022, Oregon voters approved Measure 113, which disqualifies legislators from seeking re-election if they accumulate more than 10 unexcused absences in a single legislative session.

Candidates must also be registered to vote.^[3]

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislative salaries, 2024^[4]
Salary	Per diem
$35,052/year	$157/day

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in the Oregon State Legislature, the board of county commissioners representing the vacant seat must select a replacement. This can only be done when the Legislature is in session or when the vacancy happens more than 61 days before the next scheduled general election.^[5] The board must select a person from the political party that last held the vacant seat. The board must consider three to five candidates, nominated by the local county party that last controlled the seat. A replacement must be selected within 30 days of the vacancy. Persons selected to fill vacancies serve until the second Monday in January following the general election.^[6]

See sources: Oregon Rev. Stat. §171.051

Elections

2020

See also: Oregon House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Oregon House of Representatives District 51

Incumbent Janelle Bynum defeated Jane Hays and Don Crawford in the general election for Oregon House of Representatives District 51 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Janelle Bynum (D / Independent / Working Families Party)	52.8	18,939
	Submit photo	Jane Hays (R)	43.1	15,466
		Don Crawford (L)	3.9	1,393
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	48

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 35,846
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 51

Incumbent Janelle Bynum advanced from the Democratic primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 51 on May 19, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Janelle Bynum	98.7	6,607
	Other/Write-in votes	1.3	84

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,691
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 51

Jane Hays advanced from the Republican primary for Oregon House of Representatives District 51 on May 19, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Jane Hays	98.4	3,809
		Other/Write-in votes	1.6	60

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,869
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Oregon House of Representatives District 51

Don Crawford advanced from the Libertarian convention for Oregon House of Representatives District 51 on July 6, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Don Crawford (L)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.