Civic engagement

Learn about your right to vote, consider civic engagement, how it works, and who gets to participate.

Recommended reading

Bienvenidos a los Estados Unidos de América

 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Votes of Confidence

 Jeff Fleischer

Voting, Race, and the Law

 Duchess Harris, JD, PhD

Welcome to the United States

 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Consider This: Democracy Right Now

The Oregon Humanities Consider This conversation series in 2021 is all about democracy and civic engagement—how it works, who gets to participate, and how it can break down. Join the virtual conversation with journalists and scholars with insight into how our democracy is working and the threats it faces on Tuesday, January 19 at 5 pm.

Learn more about Consider This
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Learn about your local government

The City of Grants Pass is a council-manager form of government. The mayor and councilors volunteer their time to serve our community. Elected by city residents, they serve their respective wards.

Eight councilors represent 4 wards and are elected at large to 4-year terms of office. The council oversees city government and employs a city manager who is in charge of the city staff and departments.

City Council meetings are open to the public and held in the council chambers at 5th & NW A Streets in Grants Pass on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 6 pm.

Get involved

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners is the governing body of the county. Within the limits of state law and county charter, the board is empowered to adopt ordinances, establish programs, levy taxes, appropriate funds, make appointments and zone property in the unincorporated area.

The three members of the board are elected on a non-partisan basis to serve four-year terms.

With the exception of holidays and other planned recesses, the Board of Commissioners convenes the first, third, and fourth Wednesdays for Weekly Business Sessions at 9:00 am and the second Wednesday at 5:30 pm at the Anne Basker Auditorium at 600 NW 6th St., Grants Pass, Oregon. The meetings are open to the public.

Get involved

Local and national resources

American Bar Association
The Standing Committee on Election Law develops ways to improve the Federal electoral process in order to permit the broadest, least restrictive access by Americans to the ballot box. Visit ABA
American Civil Liberties Union
Learn more about how to exercise your voting rights, resist voter intimidation efforts, and access disability-related accommodations and language assistance at the polls. Visit ACLU
Josephine County Election and Voter Registration
The Elections Division conducts all Federal, State, County, City and Special District elections in Josephine County. Visit Josephine County
Election Security
To protect the integrity of Oregon’s elections and other systems, The Office of Oregon Secretary of State has multiple layers of defense controls, including hardware and software designed to prevent cybercriminals from gaining access. Visit the Oregon Secretary of State
USA.gov
Learn about voting rights laws, constitutional amendments, voter fraud, voter suppression, and more. Visit USA.gov