CANYON CITY – Oregon voters overall embraced the two tax measures on the Jan. 26 special election ballot.

In Grant County, voters bucked the tide, rejecting both measures. In unofficial final returns, the local count was 901 yes to 2,078 no on Measure 66, and 867-2,099 for Measure 67.

Grant County had a turnout of nearly 67 percent, with 3,014 voters casting ballots.

Measure 66 raises taxes on the highest income Oregonians and eliminates income tax on the first $2,400 of unemployment benefits received in 2009. Measure 67 raises some corporate and business taxes.

Statewide, the measures passed handily – 53 percent to 47 percent. Support was strongest in the Willamette Valley, North and Central Coast and Portland area.

The more sparsely populated counties in Southern and Eastern Oregon all rejected the measures.