Waldport voters reject recalls of all six city councilors

Waldport voters rejected recall attempts against all six members of the City Council in the first reported results from the July 13, 2026, special election, leaving the city’s current council lineup in place as additional ballots were counted.

The results reported by Lincoln County showed each councilor leading the vote to remain in office. The election involved six separate recall contests, with ballots mailed to 1,821 eligible Waldport voters.

How each recall vote stood

Greg Dunn led the vote against recall, 363 to 299. Rick Booth led, 401 to 265, while Susan Woodruff led, 400 to 269.

Jayme Morris led the vote to remain in office, 363 to 270, according to the Lincoln County News report. Michelle Severson led, 406 to 259, and Jerry Townsend led, 384 to 278.

In each contest, the lower total represented votes supporting the recall and the higher total represented votes to retain the councilor.

The Lincoln County News reported 37% voter turnout in the count it described. A corroborating report said approximately 95% of ballots had been counted in the first release, with ballots arriving through the statutory deadline still subject to processing the following week.

Recall followed 2025 mayoral removal

The recall campaign followed the council’s April 2025 decision to remove the elected mayor from office, according to local reporting. The vote on the six councilors therefore tested whether the council’s membership would change after that dispute.

The first results did not change the council’s six elected members. They also did not resolve the underlying dispute over the mayor’s removal.

Three seats already headed to November ballot

Regardless of the recall outcome, three of the council seats were already scheduled to appear on the November 2026 general-election ballot because their terms expire at the end of the year. Those seats are held by Woodruff, Booth and Severson.

The mayor’s office was also scheduled for the November election because that term expires at year-end. The recall results thus leave the existing council in place for now, while the city moves toward a regularly scheduled election that will include three council seats and the mayor’s office.

The July 13 figures were first or unofficial results rather than a final certified canvass. Lincoln County’s election document listed scheduled unofficial-results releases, and additional ballots could still alter the totals.