Your Tuesday evening update on Salem news

Good evening, Salem.

The race for West Salem’s city council seat remains neck-and-neck, as of the latest ballot counts released by Polk County elections officials Tuesday afternoon.

Seven votes separate incumbent Micki Varney from her challenger Chris Cummings. In Ward 8 race, Varney has 3,497 total votes so far, while Cummings has 3,490, according to election data.

There are around 295 voters who submitted ballots with signature issues that, if resolved, could change the course of the election, according to an emailed update from Polk County Clerk Kim Williams. Common signature issues can include forgetting to sign the ballot envelope, or a signature that doesn’t match what the clerk’s office has on file.

Those voters, who were mailed a notice of signature issues by the clerk’s office, have until June 9 to resolve them. See the Polk County Clerk’s office website for more information.

Voters can also check whether their ballot has been successfully counted on the Oregon Secretary of State’s website.

Williams said her office is required to conduct a hand recount unless the margin changes significantly.

“In the event of a hand recount, we will examine undervotes and overvotes alongside the candidate votes. My goal is to ensure the processing board captured all potential votes — for instance, in cases where a voter may have written a name on the write-in line rather than filling in the bubble. While our boards are typically very thorough, a secondary check during a hand recount is a prudent step to ensure accuracy,” Williams said.

The race for Ward 6 also remains close, with some additional complications for elections officials. See our story on that below.

Here’s some of today’s news. Head to our website anytime for the latest in Salem.

www.salemreporter.com

City punts on challenge to Betsy Vega’s election qualifications

A progressive political consultant alleged that Betsy Vega, the likely winner in a Salem City Council race, misled city and county officials into certifying her as a candidate. The path…

www.salemreporter.com

CLASS OF 2026: McKay grad balances passions for cosmetology, law enforcement

Vanessa Duarte Ignacio is graduating from the cosmetology program at the Career Technical Education Center with plans to open her own salon while working as a sheriff’s deputy. While learning…

www.salemreporter.com

5 things to do in Salem this week: Doggie Dash, First Friday Art Walk, extended Bush House Museum tour

Events in Salem this week include the Oregon Humane Society’s Doggie Dash fundraiser, the First Friday Art Walk through downtown and a special 90-minute tour of Bush House Museum. To…

www.salemreporter.com

After Oregonians reject gas tax, governor’s transportation workgroup fixates on messaging, not math

At the second meeting of Gov. Kotek’s Transportation Vision Workgroup, members spent hours discussing how to change public perception of the state transportation agency. To comment on this story, use…

www.salemreporter.com

One year later, emotional wounds from UGM mass stabbing continue to heal

It has been one year since 12 people were injured in a mass stabbing at Salem’s Union Gospel Mission. After changes to security and city policy, the emotional toll remainsu0026hellip;

READERS REACT: “Tears in my eyes. This is confirmation that a well thought-out partnership of compassionate, experienced adults with faith in the can change the trajectory of the community, individual by individual. I hope that other community leaders will be inspired by this story to initiate their own similar partnerships. Now, how about something for the girls?” -Jinglebell, on Madeleine Moore’s report on new violence intervention meetings starting with teens in Salem.

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City punts on challenge to Betsy Vega’s election qualifications

CLASS OF 2026: McKay grad balances passions for cosmetology, law enforcement

5 things to do in Salem this week: Doggie Dash, First Friday Art Walk, extended Bush House Museum tour

After Oregonians reject gas tax, governor’s transportation workgroup fixates on messaging, not math

One year later, emotional wounds from UGM mass stabbing continue to heal

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