Dan Lonai, director of Administration Services for Umatilla County, places the closed sign on the ballot box Tuesday, May 16, 2023, outside the Umatilla County Courthouse in Pendleton.

UMATILLA AND MORROW COUNTIES — Voters across Oregon decided the makeup of school boards, fire districts and more Tuesday, May 16, and voter turn out was low.

According to the Oregon Secretary of State’s unofficial results, the statewide turnout was 23.1%. Morrow County exceeded the average, reaching 28.8%, but Umatilla County managed just 12.9% — 6,286 ballots out of 48,682 voters.

Though most races were uncontested, several had two or more candidates, and in a few smaller districts, write-ins could make the difference.

The following are results of contested races in Umatilla and Morrow counties.

Umatilla County racesPilot Rock School Board, Position 5

Incumbent Richard Hemphill is keeping his seat on the Pilot Rock School District Board of Directors.

Hemphill has 161 votes to challenger Jennifer Mespelt’s 139.

Umatilla School Board, Position 2

Challenger Steve Warr has a narrow lead over incumbent Veronica Gutierrez by a mere 6 votes — 172 to 166.

Pilot Rock Fire District, director, Position 4

Derek Hoeft sprang to an early lead in the race for Pilot Rock Fire District Position 4 with 250 votes to opponent Ray Bacus’ 52 votes.

Pilot Rock Parks and Recreation, director, Position 2

Bacus also is running for Pilot Rock Parks and Recreation District Position 1, where he led opponent Rhonda Hinkle Lazinka 144 votes to 133.

Hermiston Cemetery District, director, Position 1

Ken Huber easily won his race with 1,400 votes to 371 for Chris Caldarella.

Write-in campaigns in holding patternAnother race where uncertainty was at play was with the Blue Mountain Community College Board of Educators for zones 5 and 7, which had no candidates file. Several candidates mounted a write-in campaign to vie for the seats earlier last week.

Umatilla County Elections Manager Kim Lindell said due to the nature of write-in campaigns, which can include challenges to ballots, her office won’t announce the winners of the BMCC races for 21 days.

BMCC Faculty Association members Dulcie Hays and Scott Wallace mounted write-in campaigns — Hays for Zone 5 and Wallace for Zone 7. The two are on the college’s list of faculty to lay off.

“I don’t mind that it’s going to take a while, I’m not impatient,” Hays said. “I think that the democratic process just takes time. I’m eating strawberry shortcakes and watching shows with my family. It’s a pretty normal night. I’m a praying person, I put my faith in God.”

And write-ins for Ukiah School District Position 3 have 10 votes to eight for incumbent Christy Lawhead.

Morrow County racesMorrow County Health District, director, Position 5

Stephen Munkers defeated Ana Pineyro with 881 votes to 747.

Ione Rural Fire Protection District, director, at-large

Tom Gates and and Joseph McElligott secured the votes for the director positions, with Gates receiving 230 votes and McElligott 139. The two candidates beat Camie Padberg, who received 102 votes.

Boardman Cemetery District, director, at-large

George Shimer defeated Brenda Connell with 298 votes to 212.