Portland ballots are already crowded with candidates — and there’s still a month to go

While national election news has gripped headlines this month, Portland’s citywide November election — with a total of 14 city offices up for grabs — is set to bring a seismic change in how the city is run.

The general election marks the start of both an updated voting process and new form of government in Portland. Candidates have another month left to join the race, but the ballots are already crowded.

In January, Portland’s city council will triple in size to 12 members, based on a voter-approved plan to change the city’s governance structure. The city will also be divided into four new voting districts, with three councilors representing each district, rather than a five-person council elected citywide. The mayor and auditor offices are also on the ballot.

Candidates began filing for office in early June. Since then, at least 50 people have registered to run for city council and nine have joined the mayor’s race. Yet many others who have announced their plans to run, like mayoral hopeful City Commissioner Mingus Mapps and former Commissioner Steve Novick, who is seeking to return to council, have not yet filed. Only one person — current City Auditor Simone Rede — has entered the auditor’s race.

Related: Former Portland Commissioner Steve Novick joins 2024 council race

Of all council candidates who’ve joined the race, the vast majority are running to represent District 4, which encompasses all of Portland west of the Willamette River as well as Sellwood, Eastmoreland, and Reed neighborhoods on the east side of the river. So far 21 people have filed to represent District 4.

The smallest pool of candidates is in District 2, which includes almost all eastside neighborhoods north of Sandy Boulevard, stretching east to Northeast 82nd Avenue. Only eight people have filed for those seats.

Candidates have until Aug. 27 to submit paperwork that would allow them to appear on the November ballot.

Related: Portland Commissioner Mapps is running for mayor in 2024

Because most Portland candidates choose to participate in a program that limits the size of campaign contributions, donations play a lesser role in city races than national campaigns.

Yet the amount candidates have collected thus far still tells a story. In the mayor’s race, two candidates have far out-raised their competitors: city Commissioners Rene Gonzalez and Carmen Rubio. In total, Gonzalez has raised nearly $160,000, while Rubio has collected just under $110,000. They are trailed by trucking company owner Keith Wilson, who has raised $85,000, and Mapps, who has racked up $71,000. Mapps’ campaign coffers are in the red, however, due to money he owes consulting firms.

Few council candidates have reached the fundraising heights of the mayoral candidates. Near the top: District 1′s Steph Routh with $135,000, District 3′s Angelita Morillo with $127,000, District 4′s Olivia Clark with $110,000, and City Commissioner Dan Ryan — who is running for District 2 — with $110,000.

Several candidates, meanwhile, have yet to record any campaign donations.

Election Day is Nov. 5.