Jackson County Oregon county commissioners may become non-partisan. The county's Board of Commissioners is considering a ballot measure that would change the current partisan set-up of the governing body.
The Mail Tribune reports that if the measure makes it to the May 2014 ballot and is passed, the language of the county's home rule charter would be amended to make commissioner seats nonpartisan by the May 2016 primary election.
The commissioner job is the only Jackson county-level position that requires primaries for Republican and Democratic candidates before the general election.
At a public hearing yesterday, county officials said 23 of Oregon's 36 counties have nonpartisan elections for commissioners and judges.
If the commission were nonpartisan, the ballot would include all candidates who filed for an election.