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Rural voters could have altered results
More than 450,000 people in state’s smaller
counties did not vote in 2018 governor’s race
By Ronald Bond
because the west determines how
elections go.
But with next month’s gen-
eral election 21 days away, the
longtime Union County clerk
contends that is only the case if
people indeed don’t vote, and
pointed to a recent state election
as evidence — the Knute Buehler
vs. Kate Brown governor race in
2018.
“That race was decided by
(nearly) 120,000 votes. I know
The Observer
This is the second of a two-
part series on voting. The fi rst
part, which looked at the Union
County’s sheriff race in May and
explained a challenged ballot, an
over-vote and an under-vote, ran
Thursday, Oct. 8.
LA GRANDE — Robin
Church said she often hears
about how the vote of eastside or
rural Oregonians doesn’t matter
people on this side of the state
complain all the time that their
vote doesn’t count. Their vote
doesn’t count because they don’t
cast it. Their vote counts if they
cast their ballot,” she said. “It’s
gotten so ingrained into people
that this side of the state doesn’t
matter. The other side runs
everything. That’s not neces-
sarily true.”
In the 2018 election, 119,710
votes separated Brown from Bue-
hler out of more than 1.86 million
ballots cast, and the state had a
voter turnout of almost 68%.
But there were close to
885,000 voters in the state who
did not mark a ballot in the gov-
ernor’s race, and the majority of
those who decided not to vote
— by a 51-49% margin — came
from the 32 counties in the state
with 250,000 or fewer voters,
according to data Church shared
with The Observer. That’s despite
them making up a smaller por-
tion of the state’s voters — the
four largest counties carry a
52-48% edge in registered voters.
More than 433,000 in those
four did not vote, but more than
See, Voting/Page 5A
Incumbent
Dutt o faces
challenger
Glabe for city
council seat
Candidates weigh in on
local GOP involvement
in race
By Dick Mason
The Observer
nearing completion.
The fi nal touches include fi n-
ishing the gymnasium’s new
hardwood maple fl oor and com-
pleting the new graphics that will
showcase the Wallowa Mountains
as well as the Eagle’s emblem.
“The gym renovation is going
well,” Joseph Charter School
Superintendent Lance Homan
said. “We are extremely pleased
with how it is turning out. One
Call, our insurance company, and
the school have been on the same
page the entire time and we can
now see the fi nish line.”
The damaged locker room
is being repaired and updated,
including new lights, plumbing
fi xtures, tiling and, of course,
new lockers. The weight room
upstairs is bright with new paint
and a new fl oor, with new mats
for the fl oor and wall and weight
equipment waiting in the wings.
Ellen Morris Bishop/For the Wallowa County Chieftain/Wallowa County Chieftain
LA GRANDE — Dr. David
Glabe was inspired to run for La
Grande city council’s Position
3 because he wants to have the
opportunity to speak out.
“I believe I can provide a valu-
able and unique voice for family-
and business-friendly local gov-
ernment policy,” said Glabe, an
optometric physician and small
business owner.
Glabe and his wife, Erin, have
fi ve children and have lived in La
Grande for the past seven years.
“I hope to repre-
sent the citizens of
La Grande with pro-
family and pro-busi-
ness values in
administering local
government affairs
Glabe
and introduce new
ideas for healthy eco-
nomic development
for improving our
community,” Glabe
said.
He said he is com-
Dutto
mitted to confronting
La Grande’s “severe” economic
challenges.
“According to census data,
22% of our citizens live in pov-
erty, and almost one in four don’t
have internet access in their
homes,” he said. “Too many of
our youth graduate without pur-
suing additional training or edu-
cation, and those who do often
can’t fi nd local jobs. Families and
professionals wanting to relocate
here are faced with a dearth of
available or affordable housing.”
The candidate said the city’s
policies have proven ineffec-
tive as La Grande’s economy
and growth over the past decade
remain nearly stagnant, and
municipal regulations that restrict
development need to be reexam-
ined. He also said he would like
to see a family science center in
La Grande to provide educational
experiences.
Glabe is seeking to replace
Corrine Dutto, who is completing
her fi rst four-year term on the city
council. She said she would work
hard during a second term to help
La Grande maintain its quality of
life. She said it is critical to main-
tain the city’s services, from the
public library and pool to fi re and
police departments.
“All of them are essential,”
Dutto said.
She also said she wants to have
the council focus on addressing
housing issues. Dutto said having
a good availability of affordable
housing is critical to drawing
businesses that provide living
wage jobs.
“Businesses will not come here
See, Joseph/Page 5A
Contractor Craig Rasch applies mud to texture the walls in parts of
the Joseph Charter School gym.
See, Council/Page 5A
Ellen Morris Bishop/For the Wallowa County Chieftain
Boise, Idaho, graphic artist Rondell Puckett outlines an artistic vision of Sawtooth Peak in the Wallowa Mountains design with masking tape
Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, on the Joseph Charter School gym fl oor.
Go play on the MOUNTAINS
Joseph Charter School gym restoration nears
completion with unique design on gym floor
By Ellen Morris Bishop
For the Wallowa County Chieftain
JOSEPH — Nearly nine
months after a fire devastated
the main Joseph Charter School
gym on Jan. 16, repairs and
renovations of the facility are
INDEX
Classified ...... 2B
Comics .......... 5B
Crossword .... 3B
Dear Abby .... 6B
WEATHER
Home ............ 1B
Horoscope .... 4B
Letters ........... 4A
Lottery........... 2A
THURSDAY
Nation ........... 8A
Obituaries ..... 3A
Sports ........... 6A
State .............. 7A
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Wednesday
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