Portland for All
2026 Voter Guide
Elect González, Simpson to Metro’s regional government
Portland for All endorses Juan Carlos González for Metro Council President and Ashton Simpson for Metro Council District 1, representing East County.
González and Simpson are effective and pragmatic leaders committed to serving our entire region. Read our complete endorsements below.
Why does Metro Matter?: Metro is our unique regional government, bringing together cities and counties to plan land use and transportation, safeguard the environment, foster a healthy economy, and serve everyone in the region.
Metro led the effort to pass ballot measures to secure funding to increase our supply of affordable housing and to support housing services that prevent homelessness and rehouse people forced into it.
Metro also manages the urban growth boundary, a number of venues in the region (convention center, zoo, expo center, Portland’5 Centers for the Arts), and leads a regional effort to build reliable construction career pathways for women and people of color.
Portland for All endorsement Committee: Portland for All believes in transparency, which is why we share who participated in our endorsement committee. This committee included: Johnathon DeSoto, Stephen Gomez, Jenna Golden, Diane Goodwin, Lucia Longoria, Andrés Oswill, Steph Routh, and Jackie Yerby.
Juan Carlos González for Metro Council President
Juan Carlos González is an inspiring, energetic, and effective leader whom Portland for All is excited to endorse as the Metro Council’s next president.
For the past six years, he has served on the Metro Council representing the majority of people living in Washington County and a section of west Multnomah County. He has worked regionally on transportation issues as the chair of the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT). He has also focused on economic development, affordable housing, and creating a region where everyone can afford to belong.
Councilor González made history when he was elected in 2018 as the first-ever Latino to serve on Metro Council, as well as the youngest. He is the proud son of immigrants, born in Forest Grove and raised in Cornelius.
The funding for affordable housing is due for renewal, and González rightly feels an enormous sense of urgency to increase our region’s supply, especially for very low-income households earning less than 30 percent of the area's median income. He understands the need to restore confidence with the electorate so that he can pass another bond measure to help fund the construction of much-needed housing to address our affordability crisis.
A strong supporter of unions, González is deeply committed to racial and economic justice and an outspoken leader fighting for immigrant communities in the face of ICE’s unlawful and harmful actions.
González also brings a wealth of strong relationships and endorsements from the region’s elected officials. He is a compelling and effective communicator and convener who has the credibility to bring our region together.
He is endorsed by AFSCME Local 3580, Building Power for Communities of Color, East County Rising, Working Families Party, and many others.
Ashton Simpson for Metro Council District 1
Ashton Simpson is a thoughtful, smart, and passionate champion representing East Multnomah County. He deserves to be re-elected to the Metro Council District 1, which includes Gresham, Rockwood, East Portland, Troutdale, and Wood Village.
Portland for All is excited to endorse Simpson to serve another four-year term because he is an effective advocate for safe streets, affordable housing, and preventing people from being displaced by development.
Simpson is also clear in rejecting division and hate sewn by Trump and his allies, who are exploiting this time of uncertainty to turn us against each other and punish those who are different from them.
At Metro, Councilor Simpson serves on the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) and Greater Portland Inc. He sits on the boards of Travel Portland, Visitor Development Fund, and Workforce Development, and is a member of the Ultra High Speed Corridor Advisory Group.
He is the former executive director of Oregon Walks and a community advocate, where he helped secure $185 million to transform 82nd Avenue into a safer corridor for our kids, seniors, and neighbors as pedestrians, motorists, and cyclists have been killed or injured over the years. His commitment to authentic community partnership is invaluable in elected office.
He is an Air Force veteran who values service, teamwork, and never leaving anyone behind. Raised in Houston, he saw the consequences of underinvestment and poorly planned growth, most recently with the devastation of Hurricane Harvey wiping out whole communities.
He is endorsed by East County Rising, Working Families Party, and Northwest Oregon Labor Council, among many others. Learn more here.
May 2026 Primary Election dates
Ballots are mailed to voters on April 29. Ballots must be returned to an Official County Dropbox by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, or postmarked by Election Day.
Important notice: The U.S. Post Office has changed its “postmark policy,” so make sure you give them extra time to process your ballot in time for Election Day.
For more information, visit the County’s election website.
Your city.
Your vote.
The 2026 elections will be incredibly meaningful to the future of our region. Voters in Portland and Multnomah County will use ranked-choice voting to select their preferred candidates.