Both Jefferson County incumbent commissioners held solid leads after unofficial primary results were tallied in the May 19, 2026 nonpartisan primary election, according to figures posted by the Oregon Secretary of State. Final results will not be certified until June 25.
Position 1: Wunsch vs. Curtiss
In the race for Commissioner Position 1, incumbent Mark Wunsch received 3,600 votes — approximately 58.6 percent of ballots cast — compared to 2,493 votes for challenger George Curtiss, with 54 write-in votes rounding out the total of 6,147 ballots counted in that race.
Wunsch, who has served on the board for several years, ran on a platform of fiscal stability and county infrastructure investment. Curtiss mounted a credible challenge focused on expanding services to rural communities across the county, but could not close the gap.
Position 2: Simmelink Tops Four-Way Field
The race for Commissioner Position 2 featured four candidates and was the more closely watched contest. Incumbent Kelly Simmelink, who has held the seat since 2017, received 3,357 votes — roughly 53.7 percent — in the four-way nonpartisan primary.
Challenger Ara Erdekian finished second with 1,477 votes (23.6 percent), followed by Greg Mead with 962 votes (15.4 percent) and Bill Atherton with 432 votes (6.9 percent). Twenty-eight write-in ballots were also cast.
Because Simmelink received more than 50 percent of the vote, Oregon election law means she advances directly without a November runoff, making her the winner of the seat pending certification.
Certification and What Comes Next
Oregon law sets June 25 as the deadline for certifying primary results statewide. Jefferson County Clerk officials have noted that the abstracting process for write-in names continues through that date.
Both commissioner races were nonpartisan, meaning candidates from any party background could compete and any registered voter — regardless of party — could cast a ballot. Total countywide voter turnout in the primary is expected to land in the range consistent with the statewide figure of approximately 40 percent.
With the commissioner races settled — barring any significant shift in uncounted late ballots — attention turns to the November general election, which will still feature the contested Jefferson County Sheriff race.