Newberg School Board Members Hold Slight Lead, May Survive Recall

BEAVERTON, OR — It appears that Brian Shannon and Dave Brown, the vice-chair and chair of the school board in Newberg, may have escaped recall. Thousands of voters turned out on Tuesday to decide whether to recall the two.

As of late Tuesday night, both were holding on by slight margins.

Brown had a lead of about 500 votes and Shannon was up by around 600 votes.

More than 14,000 voters – about 56 percent of registered voters – cast ballots on Tuesday. That's more than twice the 24 percent who turned out in 2019 when the two were first elected.

Officials say that while many votes – and likely a clear majority – have been counted, it could still be weeks before they have a final tally. The recall election is the first under a new state law saying that as long as a ballot was postmarked by 8 p.m. on Election Day, it should be counted.

The push for a recall came after Brown and Shannon, two members of the four-member conservative majority on the seven-member board – took actions such as banning signs and slogans for Pride and Black Lives Matter and then firing the superintendent without cause.

Recall organizers have also alleged that the board under Brown and Shannon has violated the state's public meeting laws.

The school district also stretches into parts of Clackamas and Washington Counties where people also cast their votes.