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If it takes three things to make a trend, Portland political candidates are one away.
When the first online version of the Multnomah County Voters’ Pamphlet came out earlier this month, there was only one candidate listed for District 2 of the Multnomah County Commission: Shannon Singleton. Her rival in the contentious race, Sam Adams, was nowhere to be seen.
Contacted by WW, Adams said he had read the wrong deadline for his race.
This week, Michelle DePass, a candidate for the new, expanded Portland City Council, said she, too, had missed the deadline because of “an error in the submission process.”
First elected in May 2019, DePass is in the midst of her second term on the Portland Public Schools Board of Education. Her term ends in 2027. (She can retain her PPS position if she is elected to the council, because the school board is an unpaid role.)
“I believe in owning my mistakes and taking full responsibility for this error,” DePass said in a press release. “While this is a challenge for my campaign, it’s not the first challenge I’ve faced, and it certainly won’t be the last. Resilience is built through adversity, and I am more determined than ever to serve our community.”
While Adams simply missed the deadline, DePass said her campaign fumbled the electronic signature that accompanied her submission for the Voters Pamphlet.
“Multnomah County allows electronic signatures in the submission process, however, the signature must replicate the writer’s actual signature which is where the campaign failed to comply with the rules,” DePass said.
Adams said he will raise money to mail the missing page in the pamphlet to voters. DePass directed voters to a page on her website.
DePass is running for City Council in District 2, one of four new districts in what will be a 12-member legislative body. There are 22 candidates running in District 2, which includes North and Northeast Portland.