Clackamas County · November 3, 2026

Portland City Council, Clerk

2
Candidates: 1
Seats: Vote for one
Method: Nov 3
Due 8 p.m.

Our readingDraft

One case is continuity: professional administration and wider voter access. The other would replace machine tabulation with hand counting. The factual premise behind changing the counting system deserves scrutiny.

2 candidates, A–Z. Tap any position to read the sentence, how they would deliver it, and the source.

3 more choices, below3 more choices

Where each candidate stands on four issues, in our short reading of their statements. Each position is a button; activate it to read the sentence, how they would deliver it, and the source. Candidates appear alphabetically.
Candidate	0 of 2 documented	0 of 2 documented	2 of 2 documented	0 of 2 documented	Save to my ballot
Catherine McMullenIncumbent clerk	Homes	Safety	Money	Roads
Mark ReakseckerRetired dentist and former dental-practice owner	Homes	Safety	Money	Roads

What this office decides right now

What’s at stake

The clerk runs every election in the county, keeps property records and marriage licenses, and certifies results to the Secretary of State under state rules on equipment, audits and signature checks. The next term includes the May 2027 public safety levy election and the 2028 presidential cycle, on a $6.2 million office budget.

Each of this office’s 3 live choices is a board below, with every candidate’s stated position or the gap.

Clerk's office budget
The FY 2026-27 proposed budget gives the Clerk $6.2 million and 21 positions: $3.1 million and six positions for Elections, about $1.0 million and seven for Recording, and $844,000 and five for Records Management, with $2.7 million of the total from the General Fund.
Record primary, one recount
The May 19, 2026 primary drew 44.87% turnout and 142,908 ballots, the highest for a gubernatorial primary since all-mail voting began in 1998; the Secretary of State ordered a full recount of Circuit Court Position 13, which began June 15.
State counting rules
Oregon's voting equipment is never connected to the internet, is tested and certified three times around each election, and state law requires random-sample hand counts or risk-limiting audits in every county after primary, general and special elections; signature matching screens every returned envelope.
The 2022 misprint
In May 2022, under the previous clerk, more than half of the county's primary ballots were printed with blurry barcodes the tabulators could not read, costing about $600,000 and pulling hundreds of county employees into hand-copying votes; the Secretary of State faulted the office's lack of urgency.
This election's workload
The November 3, 2026 ballot carries five county races plus a justice of the peace, nine local measures from Estacada to Wilsonville, and the Portland charter measure for county voters inside that city; ballots go out starting October 14, and a voter without one by October 22 should call the office.
Retry set for May 2027
On July 28, 2026 the Board chose to return to voters in May 2027 rather than November 2026; Chair Craig Roberts said the team is not quite ready, and the county's consultant noted the May electorate skews older and more skeptical of tax increases.

Where they stand · three more choices

Three choices Clackamas County faces

One question at a time: every candidate’s answer, A–Z, with its source. Open all to see who has said nothing about what.

Hand-count ballotsHand-count every ballot instead of machine tabulation?2 of 2 on record

Oregon counts paper ballots on tabulators that are never connected to the internet, tests them three times per election and requires random-sample hand counts or risk-limiting audits after every primary, general and special election. In May 2022, under the previous clerk, more than half of Clackamas primary ballots were misprinted and had to be copied by hand at a cost of about $600,000.

Catherine McMullenIncumbent clerk
Replaced aging equipment
Said: What they said
Says she replaced aging equipment, secured ballot processes, trained staff and delivered timely, accurate results; hand counting itself is unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
Mark ReakseckerRetired dentist and former dental-practice owner
Hand count everything
Said: What they said
Would hand-count ballots, calling it simple, accurate, expedient and cheaper than tabulating machines, with a provable paper trail.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.

County voter-roll checksRun county-level purges of voters who have moved or died, beyond the state's list maintenance?2 of 2 on record

The Secretary of State maintains the statewide registration list through the ERIC data-sharing compact, postal change-of-address data, vital records and Oregon Motor Voter, removing people who have died or moved. Clackamas County had 318,500 registered voters for the May 2026 primary, and the clerk's Elections division has six positions in a $3.1 million FY 2026-27 budget.

Catherine McMullenIncumbent clerk
Records current, accurate
Said: What they said
Says she increased voter-registration staffing, ensured eligible citizens can access ballots and kept records current and accurate; a county-level purge beyond state maintenance is unsaid.
On the topic; the exact choice is unsaid. Our paraphrase.
Mark ReakseckerRetired dentist and former dental-practice owner
County-level purge
Said: What they said
Would verify voter rolls at the county level, removing people who have moved or died so only Clackamas County citizens vote in local elections.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.

Watermarked ballotsAdd watermarks to ballots to prove they are genuine?1 of 2 on recordNot found: Catherine McMullen

Oregon verifies each returned ballot by matching the envelope signature to the voter's signature on file; the Secretary of State says a ballot cast in a dead voter's name would be caught by that check. Ballots for November 3, 2026 go in the mail starting October 14.

Catherine McMullenIncumbent clerk
Not found
Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.
Mark ReakseckerRetired dentist and former dental-practice owner
Watermark every ballot
Said: What they said
Would watermark ballots so the clerk's office can tell genuine ballots from fraudulent ones.
Our paraphrase of the candidate’s statement.

About this race

How to vote

You vote for one candidate. How it works

Ballots mail Oct 14 · return by 8 p.m. Nov 3

What this office can do

The clerk administers elections and records, including marriage and property records, under state law.

How this list was made

Same questions for everyone, A–Z. Each chip is our short reading of a sourced statement; we do not endorse, rank or score.

Reviewed September 18, 2026 · lines 2026-09-19.1 · AI-assisted, human review pending

Terms explained

Amendment: A proposed change to a measure before the final vote. Voting for an amendment is not the same as voting for the whole measure.
Supplemental budget: A mid-year change to the city budget after the main budget is adopted.
Appropriation: Permission to spend money on something. It does not mean the money has been spent or the result achieved.
PCEF: The Portland Clean Energy Fund: a tax on large retailers that pays for climate projects. Council has debated using its interest for other services.
Term sheet: Starting terms for a negotiation. Approving one is not a final contract.
Social housing: Housing owned by the public or a nonprofit and rented at controlled prices.
CEI Hub: The fuel-storage area along the Willamette in Northwest Portland, where Zenith Energy operates.
Ranked choice: You rank candidates in order. If your first choice is eliminated or already elected, your vote counts toward your next choice.