Washington County commissioners have twice appointed replacements for Oregon lawmakers who died in office since 2020, part of a statewide pattern a new study ranks second-worst in the nation.
The study by the Center for Tech and Civic Life and the Institute for Responsive Government, published in March 2026, found that 30% of Oregon legislators left office before their terms ended between 2020 and 2025. Only Arizona, at 33%, had a higher rate. The Oregon Capital Chronicle first reported on the study's Oregon findings.
The study examined early departures across all 50 state legislatures.
Washington County's role
Under Oregon law, when a lawmaker leaves early, county commissioners in that district must appoint a replacement from the same political party. They choose from a list provided by local party officials.
Washington County commissioners have used that power twice. In May 2025, commissioners from Clackamas, Washington and Yamhill counties appointed Courtney Neron-Misslin, a Wilsonville Democrat then serving in the Oregon House, to fill the Senate seat left vacant after Sen. Aaron Woods, D-Wilsonville, died.
In 2020, Washington and Multnomah County commissioners appointed Maxine Dexter to replace Rep. Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland, who also died in office. Dexter now serves as U.S. Representative for Oregon's 3rd Congressional District.
A third Oregon lawmaker, Rep. Hòa Nguyễn, D-Portland, died in 2025. Clackamas and Multnomah commissioners appointed labor advocate Lamar Wise to fill that seat in November 2025.
Why lawmakers leave
Nationally, the most common reason for early departures was taking nonelected government jobs, accounting for 15% of vacancies. Death was second at 12%. Nonprofit jobs made up nearly 10%, caregiving 5% and safety concerns 0.3%.
In Oregon, former Sen. Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, left his seat in late 2025 after the Trump administration picked him to assist the U.S. Department of Labor. Sen. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, a current gubernatorial candidate, left her House seat to replace him.
Low pay, long hours
Barbara Smith Warner, a senior adviser at the Institute for Responsive Government who served as an Oregon state representative from 2014 to 2022, pointed to low salaries and long commutes to Salem as key factors driving departures.
"It really is hard to kind of manage that life, whether it's your family, full-time job or whatever it is, and be able to afford to do it when you are not making very much money," Smith Warner said.
Oregon lawmakers earn $44,000 a year. The speaker of the House and Senate president earn $89,000. Lawmakers also receive a $178 per diem for each day the legislature is in session. Smith Warner said she made $22,000 a year when her term ended in January 2023.
Lawmakers have described the role as full-time, sometimes exceeding 80 hours a week during sessions, according to the Oregon Capital Chronicle. In 2022, three Democratic representatives, including Rachel Prusak of Tualatin, Karin Power of Milwaukie and Anna Williams of Hood River, announced they would not seek reelection because they could not support their families on the salary.
Appointments shifted demographics
The study also found that replacements for departing lawmakers were more likely to be women or people of color. Smith Warner said Oregon's Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Caucus grew every year partly because of the appointment process.
Wise, along with Portland-based Democratic Reps. Travis Nelson and Shannon Isadore, are all Black lawmakers originally appointed through the vacancy process.
Sarah Berlin, director of civic information for the Center for Technology and Civic Life, said early departures still carry a cost, disrupting legislative work even when seats are filled by appointment.
Whoever wins the Nov. 3 Washington County commissioner races will inherit this appointment power. As we reported Thursday, Sept. 3, Steve Callaway and Kipperlyn Sinclair are headed to a runoff for the District 4 seat, while Nafisa Fai and Pam Treece are competing for county chair.
