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Filing for County Commissioner

File to be a candidate for Benton County Commissioner

When will Benton County Commissioner seats appear on the ballot?

  • Seat(s) for this office will next appear in the 2026 Election cycle.
  • It will first appear in the 2026 Primary Election to determine partisan candidates.
  • On the November 3, 2026 General Election ballot, the Benton County Commissioner race may be determined through ranked choice voting.

Ranked Choice Voting

Ranked Choice Voting is used when three or more commissioner candidates are nominated to the General Election.

Learn more about ranked choice voting »

Current County Commissioners, Shepherd, Wyse and Malone.
Current Elected Benton County Commissioners, from left: Gabe Shepherd, Nancy Wyse and Pat Malone

File to be a Candidate for Benton County Commissioner

Requirements for the Office of Benton County Commissioner
  • Citizen of United States at the time of taking office and the length of time in office.
  • Resident of Benton County for at least one year prior to the time of filing for office and the length of time in office.
  • Registered voter of Benton County at the time of taking office and the length of time in office.
  • At least 21 years of age at the time of taking office.
  • No other special qualifications or certifications required. The term of office is four years. If the office is vacant, County appoints qualified person until successor is elected at next regular election.

Partisan and non-partisan candidates are welcome to file for County Commissioner. Depending on affiliation, candidates must meet specific requirements for filing. Requirements can be found on this page. For more information, you can visit the Oregon Secretary of State’s manual for County Candidates.

Oregon Secretary of State Manual for Candidates
Major Party Candidates

Requirements:

  1. Fill out SEL101, SEL102 and SEL338 before collecting signatures.
  2. Submit signatures to the Elections Office by 5:00 PM March 3, 2026 to allow enough processing time before the filing deadline. The number of required valid signatures for Democratic candidates is 483. The number of required valid signatures for Republican candidates is 221.

First day to file:
September 11, 2025

Last day to file:
March 10, 2026

Last day to withdraw:
March 10, 2026

File by Fee Form SEL101 and $50
File by Petition SEL101, SEL102 and SEL338
Minor Party Candidates

First day to file:
June 3, 2026

Last day to file:
August 25, 2026

Last day to withdraw:
August 28, 2026

File by Nomination SEL110
Non-Partisan Candidates

Requirements:

  1. File SEL144 Candidate Filing, SEL122 Candidate Signature Sheet and SEL338 Petition Submission before collecting signatures.
  2. Submit signatures to Elections Office by 5:00 pm August 13, 2026 to allow for enough processing time before the filing deadline. The number of required valid signatures for Nonpartisan candidates is 502.

First day to file:
June 3, 2026

Last day to file:
August 25, 2026

Last day to withdraw:
August 28, 2026

File by Petition SEL114, SEL122 and SEL338

Official Voters’ Pamphlet

Filing to be in the County Voters’ Pamphlet is optional. For more information, click on the following link:

File to be in County Voters’ Pamphlet
A piece of paper on a desk, in front of a large Records & Elections book. The Paper is the front page of Benton County's Official Voter Pamphlet for the General Elections Nov 5th, 2024. Text reads "The publication and distribution of this pamphlet is coordinated by the County Clerk. The information within was provided by those who chose to participate."
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