Vega’s Ward 6 residency questioned as Salem city council race remains unsettled 

State elections officials are reviewing allegations that Betsy Vega, a leading candidate for a Salem City Council seat, may not have properly reported where she lived when filing for the office last fall.

Vega, a small business owner, is leading incumbent Councilor Mai Vang by 42 votes in the unresolved May 19 election for council as of Thursday evening.

A submission to the city, from Vang’s campaign manager, questioned whether Vega lived in Ward 6 at the time she filed for office and didn’t notify authorities as required when she moved last fall.

Vega didn’t respond directly to questions from Salem Reporter about her residence or share documentation establishing where her home is. Under the city charter, Vega must have resided in the city ward for one year before her filing to run.

City and state officials said Thursday it wasn’t clear what might happen if Vega doesn’t meet residency requirements. They couldn’t address whether one consequence would be disqualifying her from office.

State officials were clear on Thursday they were helping the city work through the issues but  not investigating the underlying claims.

“Because this is a city election, the Secretary of State’s office is not the filing officer for the race/office and thus does not make any eligibility determinations,” said Connor Radnovich, spokesman for the secretary of state. “As such, we are not investigating the residency of this candidate.” 

The allegations about a questionable residency were made to Salem City Recorder Amy Johnson by Vang’s campaign manager on Wednesday, May 28. The complaint was promptly forwarded to the Secretary of State’s office for review when city officials realized they didn’t know how to proceed. 

Vega said Thursday that she was unaware that her eligibility was being challenged. 

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Vega said in a text message to Salem Reporter. “Government officials have yet to notify me of any complaint that may have been filed against me. So I cannot comment on something I haven’t read.” 

“Although it’s strange that the Salem Reporter has a complaint against me before I do and will not share it with me, I can confirm that I of course do live in Ward 6 as I did when I filed to run,” Vega said. 

Paige Barton, the political strategist managing Vang’s reelection campaign, submitted evidence by email to the city recorder’s office that she said appeared to show Vega moved out of her Northeast Coral Avenue apartment in November. Barton said in the complaint that Vega returned her ballot on May 19 with that address.

“At the current time, it is unknown where Betsy Vega resides, and whether that is in Ward 6. It is unknown if she maintained residency in Ward 6 while she was a candidate for the Salem City Council, or if she does today,” Barton said in a written statement contesting Vega’s eligibility.

“She has not lived at this address since November 2025,” Barton’s complaint said.

Barton contended she was contesting Vega’s eligibility in part for what she said was a “failure to maintain an accurate address with elections officials.” 

As evidence, Barton submitted an audio file of a phone call she made to the apartment complex where Vega lived when she filed for the election. 

In the recording, it appears a representative of the property management firm for the complex told Barton that Vega lived at the complex from August 2023 until November 2025.

That indicates Vega did live in the city ward for the year prior to her filing, which she made two months before her apparent move.

Marion County Clerk Bill Burgess said Thursday that county voting records listed Vega as living in Ward 6. 

“To file, she (Vega) was supposed to have been within the district for a year before she filed for office. She seems to have met that requirement by what we see with voter registration, and her voter registration shows that she still lives in the ward at a different address,” Burgess said. “I am not in a position to say that she doesn’t live in the ward. If that were to be found, then I think it would be a legal question as to what to do, and I don’t know that law clearly enough to know how that would work out.” 

As of Thursday, May 28, the Marion County Clerk’s Office showed Vega ahead with 50.4% of the vote. Vang had about 49% of the vote. 

Johnson, the city recorder, said she is waiting for a response from the Secretary of State’s office. She said there is no precedent for the city to work with in such situations. 

“That is exactly why I reached out to the state. Because nothing in our code specifies a path forward for that, but the state elections code does, I’m told,” Johnson said. “They are reviewing this and they are going to be responding with that information to me.” 

Johnson said the city recorder’s office will take no action on the complaint until then.

“I am not sure if this has happened in the past at all,” Johnson said. “This is new to me, and I think it’s new to everybody here.” 

Contact reporter Joe Siess: [email protected]. 

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