Jefferson County's two incumbent commissioners came out ahead in the May 19 primary election, but both will face continued competition in the November general election as voters weigh the future direction of county government.
Position 1: Wunsch Leads Over Curtiss
Commission Chair Mark Wunsch led the Position 1 race with 58.57% of the vote as of the morning of May 20, compared to challenger George Curtiss, who received 40.54%. Tony Chard, who was also listed as a candidate on the county elections page, did not appear in early results.
Wunsch has focused his campaign on public safety and transportation. "We've been able to add five officers to [the sheriff's] team in the last 3 and a half years and I want that to improve," Wunsch said at a candidate forum held at the Madras Performing Arts Center. "We have a lot of nasty crime going on across the county when it comes to domestic violence, child sex crimes, you name it, some of the most horrific crimes. We need to be able to be proactive."
Curtiss, who grew up in Crooked River Ranch, offered a challenger's perspective focused on community representation from outside the city of Madras.
Position 2: Simmelink Leads Four-Way Field
Kelly Simmelink, who has served as commissioner since 2017, led the crowded Position 2 field with 53.88% of the vote. Three challengers split the remainder: Ara Erdekian came in second at 23.54%, followed by Greg Mead at 15.27% and Bill Atherton at 6.86%.
Simmelink emphasized economic development and continued momentum on public safety during the campaign. "Things are really steaming along in the economic side of things and I want to continue that momentum," she said at the candidate forum.
Sheriff and Other Races Go Straight to November
The Jefferson County Sheriff's race between incumbent Sheriff Jason Pollock and challenger Tyler Anderson will be decided in the November 3 general election. Because these are nonpartisan offices, the primary does not eliminate candidates — all qualified candidates advance to November.
The only candidate for county clerk is Lyndsay Hessel, who currently serves as the county's executive administrative assistant. The county treasurer race will also appear on the November ballot.
Early vote counts are typically not final; Jefferson County's official certified results were released by the Oregon Secretary of State on June 25, 2026.