Oregon Public Broadcasting

Even though it was an off-year election Tuesday, without big-name races, hundreds-of-thousands of Oregonians voted on taxes and bonds.

Ethan Lindsey reports.

People voted on gas taxes and mosquito control districts – in Lincoln County, voters approved taxes to pay for the animal shelter.

Advocates of Central Oregon Community College found that despite the tough economy, people will vote for taxes.

Voters in five central Oregon counties approved a $41 million bond to expand classrooms.

Josh Budish is a COCC pharmacology student and a member of the student government.

Josh Budish: “We did a lot of campaigning, we did a lot of picketing, we did a lot of standing on street corners with signs. There’s a lot of people here that are willing to look beyond just themselves and I believe that was the key to the bond measure – why it did get passed.”

But not all local taxes passed.

A levy to support the operations of the Bandon police department lost by a 3-percent margin.

Advocates in Sherman County convinced just 42 percent of voters to pay for updated school facilities -- falling short of a 50 percent majority vote.