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Multnomah County · November 3, 2026

Portland City Council, Auditor

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Vote for one
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Nov 3
Due 8 p.m.

Fundraising facts and comparison ↓

Our readingDraft

One candidate appears on the county’s checked filing list. An uncontested race still deserves a look at what the office would audit first, how fast reports would arrive and how open recommendations would be tracked.

Follow your district →

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

4 more choices, below4 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.
Candidate0 of 1 documented0 of 1 documented1 of 1 documented0 of 1 documentedSave to my ballot
Nicole PextonChief audit executive		HomesSafetyMoneyRoads

What this office decides right now

Decisions ahead

The auditor is independently elected, sets the office's own audit schedule and reports publicly on whether departments carry out its recommendations. Its findings are the Board's main outside check on a $4 billion budget.

Each of this office’s 4 live choices is a board below, with every candidate’s stated position or the gap.

  1. Real estate overpayments

    An August 2026 audit found no policy requiring Board approval to buy land or buildings and potential overpayments of $1.18 million on four properties, out of $50.4 million the county spent on real estate from 2019 to 2025.

  2. Jail recommendations open

    A July 2026 follow-up found the Sheriff's Office had implemented five of the 2022 jail-conditions recommendations and not four, including ending isolation as discipline for people with mental illness; an independent jail-review function remains unimplemented by the Sheriff and Board.

  3. Contractor oversight

    In April 2026 the auditor asked the Board to press for 2022 recommendations on monitoring county-funded startups after Sunstone Way, which the county advanced $377,456 and then gave another $1.1 million despite overbilling findings, announced it was closing.

  4. Audits underway

    As of September 9, 2026 the office lists five audits in progress: bridges, Corrections Health, gift cards, jail visits and supportive housing services.

  5. Money flows to watch

    The auditor's 2026 financial condition report notes FY 2025 Supportive Housing Fund spending rose more than $71 million, Preschool for All community-services spending more than $39 million, and the Health Department took in over $15 million in state deflection money.

  6. General Fund gap

    The Budget Office projected a $10.5 million General Fund shortfall for FY 2027, growing to $33.8 million by FY 2030 as downtown property values fall and personnel costs rise; each one-point pay increase costs $4.1 million.

Where they stand · four more choices

Four choices Multnomah County faces

One question at a time: every candidate’s answer, A–Z, with its source. Open a topic to compare the answers and see where information is still missing.

Homeless Services oversightTighter contract monitoring and outside audits of the Homeless Services Department after Sunstone Way?0 of 1 on recordNot found: Nicole Pexton

A county review found shelter contractor Sunstone Way billed $3.6 million in unallowable costs from July 2024 to February 2026, four years after an audit flagged $525,000 in overbilling by the same nonprofit; on April 9, 2026 the Board confirmed a new department director 3–2.

  1. Nicole PextonChief audit executive
    Not found

    Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.

Homeless-services taxBack extending Metro's homeless-services tax past 2030, with tighter spending rules?0 of 1 on recordNot found: Nicole Pexton

Metro's 1% tax on high incomes and business profits pays 61% of the county's homeless-services budget and expires in 2030. Metro shelved a 2025 draft that would have extended it to 2050 at 0.75% after polling 53% yes; the next chance is the 2028 ballot.

  1. Nicole PextonChief audit executive
    Not found

    Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.

Preschool tax delayKeep delaying the Preschool for All tax increase, now set for 2028?0 of 1 on recordNot found: Nicole Pexton

On August 27, 2026 the Board voted 5–0 to push the scheduled 0.8-point increase on high earners from January 2027 to January 2028, its second delay; the program reported a $610 million fund balance and 7,100 seats for 2026–27.

  1. Nicole PextonChief audit executive
    Not found

    Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.

Closing the gapClose the county's structural budget gap by cutting administration before services?0 of 1 on recordNot found: Nicole Pexton

The Budget Office projected a $10.5 million General Fund shortfall for FY 2027 growing to $33.8 million by FY 2030. The adopted FY 2027 budget eliminated at least 158 positions, starting where possible with vacant ones; the county’s release did not say how many were filled or how many were management rather than union-represented jobs.

  1. Nicole PextonChief audit executive
    Not found

    Nothing on this exact choice in the sources we reviewed; a research gap, not a position.

What the fundraising records show

January 1, 2025–2026-11-04 · Current transaction snapshot. November–December 2024 is missing; recent filings and manual-export coverage are provisional. Reviewed candidate–committee links do not make every transaction a 2026 campaign transaction. Official account balances and editorial findings are updated separately.

This race does not yet have reviewed, comparable fundraising records in this edition. No fundraising ranking is shown. Missing data is not zero fundraising.

About this race

How to vote

You vote for one candidate. County code uses ranked choice only when two or more candidates file; one did for this office. How it works

Election Day: November 3, 2026 · official drop boxes close at 8 p.m.

Find an official ballot drop box

The League of Women Voters' VOTE411.org shows every race on your ballot from your address, in your choice of language, with candidates' answers to the League's questions where they gave them.

What this office can do

The auditor independently evaluates county performance and follows up on recommendations; the office does not administer county services.

How this list was made

Same questions for everyone, A–Z. Each short label summarizes a sourced position; we do not endorse, rank or score.

Original research reviewed September 18, 2026. AI-assisted; a separate human editorial review is still 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.