Keizer’s history of supporting Republican presidential candidates held firm in the 2020 election, but the margin was much smaller than in recent elections.
President Donald Trump won 51. 7% percent of the vote to President-elect Joe Biden’s 48.7%. By contrast, in 2012, then-President Barack Obama (44.67%) lost to challenger Mitt Romney (52.42%).
The Marion County Clerk’s Office released voting results by precinct in late November. The numbers provide insight into how Keizerites voted on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood level.
Keizer overwhelmingly supported its homegrown candidates even if they didn’t win their individual elections.
Amy Ryan Courser lost her bid to unseat Rep. Kurt Schrader in Congress, but Courser won the Keizer vote 53.8% to Schrader’s 46.2%. In the race for secretary of state, State Sen. Kim Thatcher took 57.5% of the vote to State Sen. Shemia Fagan’s 42.5%. Thatcher lost the statewide election.
Republican Danielle Bethell defeated Democrat Ashley Carson Cottingham in the race to replace outgoing Marion County Commissioner Sam Brentano. Bethell took 57.5% of the Keizer vote.
Keizer’s closest city council race was decided by 314 votes. City Councilor-elect Kyle Juran and Michele Roland-Schwartz split Keizer’s eight precincts evenly, each won four, but Juran’s support in the north Keizer precincts carried him to victory.
While an operating levy that would have supported Marion County Fire District No. 1 (MCFD) failed to pass voter muster, the residents of Keizer whose homes are served by MCFD supported the tax. More than 53% percent of the roughly 1,348 voters gave it their blessing.
Of the four statewide ballot measures up for consideration, Keizer agreed with most of the state on all but one. The city’s residents overwhelmingly approved measures to amend campaign finance regulations, increase taxes on tobacco and nicotine products and reduce criminal penalties for drug possession while redirecting some state revenues to pay for additional addiction recovery centers. However, 52.6% of Keizer voters opposed a measure that legalized psilocybin. The psilocybin measure passed in the statewide vote with 55.7% support.
The only local measure on the ballot was approval of a new city charter. Keizer approved the change with 65.9% percent of the final vote.
Turnout in the city averaged 77.5%. Precinct 401, which includes areas around Clear Lake and Forest Ridge elementary schools, notched the highest voter turnout with 86.72% of ballots returned.