With just one week before the November 5th General Election, Josephine County voters are turning in their ballots at an increased pace.
As of Monday evening, the Josephine County Clerk's Office reported voter turnout to be 33.45%. Out of 71,044 eligible voters, 23,761 ballots had been received.
Voter turnout is generally higher during a presidential election, but local voters have plenty of other reasons to participate in this year's election.
Two out of the three positions on the Josephine County Board of Commissioners are up for grabs as is the position of Josephine County Treasurer. Mayor positions in both Grants Pass and Cave Junction are being contested as well as City Council seats in both cities.
There are also four measures that will be decided in the upcoming election. They include bond measures for Rogue Community College and the Three Rivers School District along with a local option tax supporting Veterans Services in Josephine County and a transient lodging tax in Cave Junction.
The deadline for ballots to be returned is November 5th at 8 p.m., but postmarks will be counted.
In addition, there are eight locations where ballots can be hand-delivered. They include the Clerk's Office, the north and south entrances to the Josephine County Courthouse, the back parking lot of the Grants Pass library branch, Washington Federal Bank on Union Avenue, Ray's Food Place in Merlin, Hidden Valley Market in Murphy and Cave Junction City Hall.
