Hillsboro Residents Vote Against Water Fluoridation in Advisory Ballot Measure

Hillsboro voters firmly advised against the fluoridation of the city’s water supply in the latest ballot measure, with results showing a significant majority taking a stand on the issue. According to the

City of Hillsboro’s official release

, out of the more than 38,000 participants in the 2024 General Election, 58% opposed the proposed fluoridation.

The decision to introduce the Community Advisory Vote emerged following a push from a pro-fluoridation advocacy group in late 2023, culminating in a ballot this November where 16,271 voters were in favor of adding fluoride to the drinking water, compared to the 22,301 voters who opposed it, the city will now await a formal decision by the Utilities Commission set to be made on December 10, but the community’s preference has been signaled.

This is not Hillsboro’s first confrontation with the fluoridation debate, with a tangled history dating back to the 1950s; a proposition in 1952 initially passed, only to be reversed the following year after a special election. Initiatives in 2002 and 2012 suggested fluoridation again, yet they fizzled without a formal petition making it to the ballot. The action taken by the Hillsboro City Council in June 2024 to approve the advisory vote for the November ballot was a response to history’s echo and the ongoing conversation around public health and community prerogatives.

The central argument for fluoridation, which calls for a level of 0.7 milligrams per liter as advised by bodies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, aims to reduce tooth decay and boost oral health.

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