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Electoral Politics Matter

Who holds office and which policies pass directly shape our local community, our rights, and our future. Engaging in elections is one of the most effective ways to turn shared values into real-world outcomes. Indivisible Bend works to support candidates and measures that strengthen democracy, protect our neighbors, and reflect the will of voters, while also speaking out against proposals that undermine fairness, accountability, or community well-being. Our goal is simple: help people take informed, collective action to ensure our local government serves the whole community, not special interests.

Meet the Candidates We Endorse

The candidates listed below were selected through a member vote. 

If you support these candidates, consider reaching out to volunteer for their campaigns.

We must elect leaders who truly represent our values in the upcoming election cycle.

Deschutes County Commission Candidates

Important Issues

Deschutes County Comission Mapping

The proposed maps directly contradict what voters approved and represent a clear case of partisan gerrymandering in a system meant to be nonpartisan. Rather than expanding representation, they restrict voter choice, divide the county, and serve political self-interest at the expense of democratic norms.


Comments may be submitted by emailing citizeninput@deschutes.org or leaving a voice message at 541-385-1734. 

Talking Points

  1. The process was flawed from the outset. Tony and Patti stacked the deck from the start with a seven-person committee having four Republicans and three Democrats, ensuring a Republican majority on all decisions.  The committee’s work was contentious, with loud and public disagreements on almost everything. The final plan was approved along party lines.

  2. The districts are blatant gerrymandering. Splitting Bend in half, and then taking pie shaped pieces out the rest of the county ensures there will be three “Republican” districts and two “Democratic” ones, even though County elections are supposed to be non-partisan. Further, the proposal to have people vote only on the commissioner in their district is further evidence of manipulation, since the “Republican” districts will elect Republicans and vice-vera. That way Tony and his fellow republicans will regain control of the County, as they have for decades, despite the fact that they are no longer in the majority.

  3. Tony, as usual, is looking out for himself. With Patti stepping away, he can clearly see that he will be in the minority in the new five-person Commission. This is a desperate attempt on his part to stay in office in the future, and to have control again. This is consistent with the approach he and Patti have taken to their jobs for years – putting their own personal and political interests ahead of the interests of the voters they serve.

  4. The map is unconstitutional. Oregon law requires that districts be drawn based on census population data, not voter registrations, which is what the committee used to design the districts. Lawsuits on the constitutionality could cost the County (the voters) more than $250,000

  5. This undermines the democratic process. Voters have spoken. They want to elect five commissioners, not one and they want the commissioners to be elected “at large”. And they want to see change in the Commission -- but not this kind. The voters are supposed to choose who they want to vote for, but not the politicians are going to tell us who they are allowed to vote for. The real change we need is new people with fresh ideas and respect for the democratic process.

  6. What’s the rush? This kind of major decision should not be made by the two-person majority on the Commission, especially when one of them is a lame duck. Let’s wait until we have the five-person Commission that voters opted for, and leave the decision to them.

  7. Many issues the Commission deals with have implications for the entire County. If Commissioners are elected by District, they may make decisions favorable to their districts that are detrimental to others.

  8. Districts divide us. In this era of profound political division we don’t need a plan that would divide us further. We need, instead, a unified Commission that acts for the people, not for politics.