Jefferson County’s May 19 primary election produced clear results in both commissioner contests, with incumbent candidates outpacing their challengers by wide margins when initial vote counts were released.

Position 1: Wunsch Holds Commanding Lead

In the race for Commissioner Position 1, incumbent Mark Wunsch captured 58.6% of the vote — roughly 3,508 ballots — while challenger George Curtiss received 40.5%, or about 2,428 votes. Write-in candidates accounted for less than 1%. Tony Chard, who had filed for the seat, did not appear in the results, suggesting he may have withdrawn or received minimal support.

Wunsch, who has served on the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners, now advances to the November general election with a double-digit cushion from primary voters.

Position 2: Simmelink Tops Four-Way Field

Commissioner Position 2 drew the most competitive field, with incumbent Kelly Simmelink — who has served since 2017 — pulling in 53.9% of first-round ballots, or approximately 3,282 votes. Challenger Ara Erdekian finished second with 23.5%, followed by Greg Mead at 15.3% and Bill Atherton at 6.9%.

Simmelink’s ability to capture a majority in a four-way race signals strong voter confidence heading into November.

What Comes Next

Jefferson County’s Clerk’s office will hold a public certification of the ballot tally machine on June 11, followed by a hand count of write-in votes. Oregon law sets the final statewide primary certification deadline as June 25, 2026. The public is welcome to observe the county certification process at the Jefferson County Annex.

Both commissioner races will appear again on the November general election ballot, where the winners will face any registered challengers. Voters who want to track ballot status or review the canvass can visit the Oregon Secretary of State’s election results portal at results.oregonvotes.gov.

Sheriff Race Also on November Ballot

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s race between incumbent Jason Pollock and challenger Tyler Anderson also heads to the November general election. That race has drawn significant attention in recent weeks following a May 21 hearing in which the Oregon DPSST Police Policy Committee recommended Anderson’s law enforcement certifications be revoked for life — a decision Anderson has said he will appeal. More on that story below.