86% Voter turnout (highest in the US) and so BLUE you could name a crayon after us. WHY?

[DonRedwood]

Last edited Mon Aug 20, 2012, 04:02 PM - Edit history (2)

Oregon has voting by mail. No need for early voting. No need for scuffles and people getting turned back at the polls. Every registered voter gets a ballot mailed to their house. You fill it out. You put it in the secrecy envelope, sign it and mail or drop it off. The signature is checked manually (EVERY SINGLE ONE) by a R and a D in a group and the ballot is OK'd to be counted. If the person forgets to sign they are called and informed they have to come sign their ballot.

So far no voting fraud, no day of the elections melt downs or voting machines gone bad. THERE IS A PAPER BALLOT TO COUNT IF THERE IS A PROBLEM and what has been the result? 86% of registered to vote Oregonians vote. You have a couple of weeks to read and get your ballot done. You can drop it off if you don't mail it in time.

Only people who are registered with their information on record get a ballot AT THE ADDRESS THEY ARE REGISTERED. You can vote in person on election day if you have moved/there is an issue with your ballot.

In 2008 this is how some states voted:
Hawaii 51% (worst)
UT 53%
MT 53%

up to Minn w/ 75%-the number two state for voting. And then Oregon, 11% higher than the 2nd state.

If you want cleaner elections and more participation then I suggest you start working in your state to adopt the Oregon Voting Method. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vote-by-mail_in_Oregon

EDIT: 86% of registered voters. (I assumed people would understand that 86% of Oregon children didn't vote...I'm just talking about registered voters)

[pnwmom]

1. I'm curious how this works for homeless people -- who I'm sure have trouble

voting in any system.

[DonRedwood]

5. The polls are open on voting day so they can vote in person

and I believe there is a system set in place for peeps with no permanent address

[DreamGypsy]

24. Homeless people can vote in Oregon

From the website of the Oregon Secretary of State:

Can I register to vote if I am homeless?
Yes, if you are a US citizen, an Oregon Resident and at least 17 years of age. Your residence address may be any place you sleep within the county. You must describe the physical location where you sleep. A homeless person may use the mailing address of the county elections official of the county in which the person is located.

I am very proud to live in a state the truly recognizes the value of every person's vote.

[xtraxritical]

42. California has pretty much the same absentee or vote by mail procedure, always has.

[DonRedwood]

73. Here it is automatically mailed

No thinking ahead and requesting.

It makes a big difference!

[DonRedwood]

43. Thank you for the addition!

[Arugula Latte]

2. Yep. I must say, we rock.

Republicans can't win statewide offices here anymore. Why? Because of high voter turnout. It's great.

The only prominent elected Republican is the House rep. from the severely rural part of the state. The rest of the delegation are Ds.

[Dustin DeWinde]

38. we don't have the high voter rates that you do

But here in ny the GOP can't win statewide either.

congrats on your high voter turnout though. you folks set the standard .

[DonRedwood]

66. Hey New York! Believe me I know that you are true blue

Are you kidding?! Sometimes I look at the political maps and there isn't much blue between new york and oregon. But I always appreciate that you are there and that you are always blue. :0)

[Dustin DeWinde]

126. cool oregon. we see you folks out there

Doing your part for the USA. liberalism is Americanism

[tomp]

108. really? what do you call george pataki?

and in bluer than blue NYC, republicans frequently get elected mayor.

[Dustin DeWinde]

125. pataki?!? he was elected over 10years ago

And we have t elected a repub. statewide since then. don't be jealous that my state is bluer than yours.

[99th_Monkey]

128. No wonder "They" now are demanding that we fluoridate our water in Portland ~nt

[Skink]

3. also with ballot you can do some research on who the cadidates are.

[DonRedwood]

7. People throw voting parties and sit and read the ballot measures

A friend did that for his nephew who turned 18 for him and all his friends. They sat around, voted for the first time, and had a party. With all the discussion and debate they were probably some of the most education new voters in the country.

[genxlib]

8. Thanks for that

That's one of the best things I've read all day

Sometimes I fear for our future but it will only as bad as we let it get.

[DonRedwood]

44. We need to fight back though....voter suppression only happens when it is ignored

it does not do well in the light of day, that's for sure!

[klook]

82. Super cool

Oregon leads the way!

[DonRedwood]

85. It was cool to see young people so excited

and so into learning about what was going on.

[barbtries]

4. that would be great.

i'm going to work trying to get the vote out the way it is now, since i'm in NC and am fairly certain that the republicans in this state would never agree to this.

how do homeless people in your state vote?

[marlakay]

6. A lot of WA state is also

my county Chelan is all mail, i love it. I heard more and more of our state is going that way. I wonder what the percentage is. (I just looked it up, most of my state is by mail now, only one county is not) yippee!!!

And since I live in small town I just put in bin at City Hall in a drive through. Makes it easy, no waiting in line, looking up names, etc. And no worries if you work!

[DonRedwood]

62. Do they automatically mail the ballots to you?

or do you have to request them? Someone from AZ was saying they had mail in ballots but it looked to me like you have to request them in advance.

[marlakay]

71. Automatically get them

for each election no matter how small. Love it!!

[DonRedwood]

81. Someone said just parts of Washington

I wonder if there are comparisons of voter turnout comparing the counties that do it with the counties that don't?

[genxlib]

9. Love this idea

Anything that increases participation (especially responsible participation) is a great thing for democracy. Which is why they will hate it.

[DonRedwood]

61. I really thought I would miss the fun of going to vote

but this has made it so easy that I don't miss going to the polls at all. I wish the whole country would do it though. The papertrail left behind means it would be very hard to mess with the voting tallies.

[former9thward]

10. Voting by mail doesn't make someplace blue.

The reason Oregon is blue is because of Portland. Most counties in Oregon are red. We have voting by mail in Arizona and it is pretty red. In my city only 5-10% of the vote does it in person on election day, everyone else mails it in. http://aidwatchers.com/2010/11/red-statesblue-cities-and-other-cool-maps/

[Nostradammit]

20. And Eugene. And Bend. And most of the coast.

Basically, where there are people.

[DonRedwood]

47. exactly....eastern oregon is RED, for sure...but some of those counties have 400 people voting total

My neighborhood has more people than some of those red red red eastern counties.

[DonRedwood]

46. Arizona turnout in 2008: 53%--almost the lowest in the country

Oergon is blue because people who work and can't get to the polls on a Tuesday still get to vote.

I would bet if 87% of Arizona was voting it would be a heck of a lot more blue than it is now!

[former9thward]

55. You didn't read my post.

AZ has voting my mail. So that disproves your post. Voting by mail does not necessarily increase turnout or change politics. I couldn't even tell you where my polling place physically is because it has been so long since I had to use it.

[DonRedwood]

60. I did read it but your requested mail-in system doesn't compare to full mail-in voting

Don't you have to request to do mail in voting? I did not know that Arizona had a system like Oregon where the ballot is mailed to EVERY person who is registered to vote.

If I am incorrect then the difference between AZ and OR is shocking. But I was under the impression in AZ you have to request to vote by mail with a printed out application.

Those additional steps means your voting and ours are VERY different. Especially if you consider Absentee Balloting statistics show it skews to older and more conservative voters.

[former9thward]

64. When you register to vote you are asked if you want to be an early voter.

If you do then you are put on the early voter list and you are automatically mailed a ballot each election. You don't have to request a ballot each election. It is not quite the same as Oregon's system but close enough. When I have done canvassing for candidates some voters, especially older ones, tell me they want to show up at the polling place so they don't want a ballot by mail. It gives some people an excuse to see and talk with their neighbors.

[DonRedwood]

67. That simple step of requesting... what else would cause the 35% difference in voting

Interesting how, if my premise is correct, that that additional step makes such a difference.

With your Senior Population I was pretty surprised to see AZ with such low voting numbers.

[Bette Noir]

99. I'm in a small town near the coast. Our county went 70% for Obama in '08.

And the predicted high tomorrow is in the 60s. And I've met both of my Senators, who are both dollbabies, and my Rep. And I've already been to a few town hall meetings (I've been here less than two years), at which even the Tea Partiers are polite and respectful. It's darn close to Heaven here, if it weren't for that pesky 14% unemployment.

[former9thward]

109. Your last sentence reminded me of a saying.

"Well other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"

[Bluenorthwest]

110. Peter DeFazio represents Oregon's 4th District, far from Portland and large enough to

contain urban and extremely rural areas. Portland is 100 miles away. And Arizona has absentee voting by mail, not automatic and universal vote by mail. It is not the same thing.

[DonRedwood]

116. Thank you for the backup!

People don't seem to get that there is a HUGE difference between absentee voting by mail and what we do. That simple step of automatically getting your ballot makes all the difference.

You don't have to remember a month ahead of time to call or fill out a form. It just happens.

[former9thward]

122. I live in AZ so I know what happens here.

Our voting is NOT absentee voting. When you register to vote you are asked if you want your ballots by mail. If you do then you will be sent ballots for each election forever. Also whenever you have any interaction with the government -- renewing drivers licenses, renew car tags, paying taxes, getting permits, etc. you are asked to be an early voter. You can't escape it even if you wanted.

Regards to Oregon, I used to live there and without the Portland vote Oregon would be red. If you don't know that you don't know how to read election results.

[99th_Monkey]

129. I can't help thinking that this is exactly why "They" now insist Portland's water be fluoridated ~nt

[RoccoRyg]

11. Good system

I'm an election judge here in Illinois, and we allow early voting for weeks.

[alfredo]

12. I'm an election judge in Lexington, Ky. Good gig.

Welcome to DU

[DonRedwood]

68. what do you think of voting by mail?

[alfredo]

70. That's fine with me too. I'm a retired mail carrier. I like people mail stuff.

[DonRedwood]

84. I wish everyone was as easy to please as you, alfredo!

[alfredo]

89. I do like the nice payday for just hanging out with some good people.

[erpowers]

13. People Voting Multiple Times

How do you stop people from voting by mail and at the polls? Is there a way to know (if someone shows up at the polls) that someone has already voted by mail?

[Arugula Latte]

21. There is no voting at the polls at all.

We get our ballots and our election guides weeks ahead of time. You fill out your ballot (it's the fill-in-the-bubble type), put it in a security envelope, put that envelope in another envelope, sign the back of the envelop, and either mail it in or drop it off if it is close to election day. The people processing the ballots check your signature against the one on file.

[DonRedwood]

53. Actually, you can vote at the polls or if mess up your ballot you can go get a new one

The polls are open to vote, register and to drop off ballots that weren't mailed in time. So, really, it is the best of both worlds. Everyone who wants to vote pretty much can.

[Arugula Latte]

65. I've lived here since the mid-90s and never heard of any actual polls.

But maybe drop-off spots are being counted as polls?

[DonRedwood]

69. All the county offices are open for voting but not all the old polling places

When I was younger it was old style with every school and church, it seemed, with voting going on. Now it is just the county offices here. I don't know how they do it in the country.

Any country Oregonians on here to answer?

[chloes1]

105. Out in the country

we have to go into town if we have a problem with the ballot that gets mailed to us. my little community doesn't have a stop light let alone a county building.

So, it's off to town if we need a new ballot or need to drop off our ballot. It's kind of a hassle, but on the whole I really like the way voting is done here!

[iemitsu]

27. besides, one's signature is checked against the official signature in the voting roles.

the kind of cheating you are referring to hardly exists.

[DonRedwood]

48. yes

Every ballot has to be signed and our signatures are on file. The signatures are checked on every ballot that is cast.

There is some sort of numbering system on the envelopes i think so they know who has voted but they are separated from the ballot after the signature has been validated so nobody knows how you voted...just that you did. Just like checking off a name at the polling place....they do it as the ballots come in.

[Drunken Irishman]

14. Not be a buzzkill, but 86% of Oregonians didn't vote in '08...

http://www.politifact.com/oregon/statements/2010/nov/05/democratic-party-oregon/eighty-five-percent-oregonians-voted-2008/

Still, an impressive turnout all things considered, but 86% of the state did not vote in '08. That's impossible of a number to reach when 25% of your population isn't even of voting age yet.

[rfranklin]

17. So 85% of registered voters actually voted...not bad considering what it is in most states...

and the ability to actually verify the votes is much, much better than the hackable electronic voting.

[Drunken Irishman]

19. It's not a bad number, but comparable to most states...

85% of registered voters cast their ballots, but only 67.7% of eligible voters did:

http://elections.gmu.edu/Turnout_2008G.html

A lot of states were better or roughly the same.

[rfranklin]

36. Okay, thanks for the info...

Those people in Hawaii must have all been surfing.

[DonRedwood]

50. According to the census 86% is 10% higher than the next state and 35% more than the lowest

Some people don't register to vote... they choose to not participate.

But Oregon has the best number of registered voters voting. Better than anyone else by a longshot and we're only 8% off of DOUBLING Hawaii's number of registered voters who vote.

I think that shows our system is working better than anything out there. Now we just have to get more people registered.

[DonRedwood]

54. yes, 86% of REGISTERED voters voted. Still the highest in the country

[Uncle Joe]

15. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, DonRedwood.

[valerief]

16. That may help the 99% but how does it help the 1%?

After all, making rich people richer is the most important thing in the world.

[TahitiNut]

29. Exactly. We must always honor the perquisites of our Ruling Class.

After all, that's why God invented them.

[DonRedwood]

79. well...they don't have to stop shopping...they can do their ballot in the car

[Generic Other]

18. Works this way in my county in Washington state too

It really allows a voter to make an informed choice. I had the internet and my voter pamphlet in hand as I made my choices this time. And mailed my vote on election day.

[Bandit]

22. Democrats have been fighting this for over a decade now and I simply don't understand why.

Common sense should dictate here.. There is a reason why Republicans have spent the last three decades mailing out absentee ballots to every registered Republican. It makes voting so damn much easier.. You never have to worry about missing work or finding a place to park or standing in some long line or running into that person you have been avoiding. You can sit at your kitchen table and discuss all the ballot measures and the candidates and make an informed decision...Then just let the mailman pick it up and you are done with it... so simple even a Republican can do it...

[ecstatic]

23. It's sad that voting rights are dependent on one's state

Last edited Tue Aug 21, 2012, 01:08 AM - Edit history (1)

I think the federal government needs to step in and make things equal everywhere. I like Oregon's plan, especially the paper trail aspect. Even better would be an online system that gives a pre-paid postage printout that must be mailed in for backup purposes. If electronic votes don't match the paper receipts mailed in, then investigate what went wrong.

[Coyotl]

28. Online voting is an immensely bad idea. It discriminates against Dems.

Online voting is a great way to limit who can vote. It cuts out the poor.

[DonRedwood]

51. YES! + 1,000,000

[Egalitarian Thug]

90. What Coyotl said. An absolutely awful idea. If you think election fraud is bad now,

institute on-line voting. We could determine the winners of the next election before primary season. But it would save the uber-wealthy from having to sink hundreds of millions into picking our representatives for us, with an on-line scheme they could do it for 1/10th of what they have to pay now.

[glowing]

25. FL - has been pushing the mail in ballot option.

It's great for the older seniors who depend on rides or are ill to be able to vote by mail OR have it dropped off for them. It's also how most of the GOTV people opt to vote so they can stay on the ground running through the election day. It's great for college kids who prefer to vote in the state they are from OR county they are from (FL is a swing state; if u go to college in say NY state, a college kids vote is more beneficial in FL than in a defined blue state - no matter what party they choose their affiliation with).

The biggest problem with FL, though, is the shenanigans that the county election supervisor may do to the "mail-in-ballot" persons. If you don't vote for some reason during a primary or mid-term election; they can decide you are no longer a valid voter and purge you drone the voter registration data log, they can delay or "lose" the mail in ballot thru the postal system (this past mid-term election - the one that gave us pRick Scott - 3 counties that are heavily democratic in preference had people with "missing" mail in ballots. Older people were, on election day, still waiting for their ballot and did not seem to understand that if it came in after the election day; their vote would NOT count).

Also, if your signature does not match the signature they have on file/ record; they can toss the ballot. My signature on my driver's license is from when I first got married and I hadn't really figures out the most appropriate way I would eventually sign everything... I have to remember when I go to vote to practice signing like I did when I changed my license after I got married and had a change of address. I've been challenged at the voting place by old ladies who are probably republicans (I live in an area in my county that has wealthier people and tend to vote republican). Absolutely ridiculous!

But, a mail in ballot is trackable that they received; however, it is run through the opti-scan; so who knows how they have that set to show your intended vote? I do know the more democratic ballots and people that show up for early vote or that are mailed in make it harder for the Republicans to steal by the time election day comes around. They keep tabs on how many "dems" and "pubs" have voted by party... It's not exact science because on election day; a pub could vote for Obama, but go down ticket the rest of the way for pub... Or a dem could vote opposite. Independants are a crap shoot, but, in general, it tends to keep things in perspective for the bigger picture of how strongly the parties are turning out the vote and who seems to have the enthusiasm and where GOTV needs to push harder.

[DonRedwood]

86. wow...so many shennanigans!

and, yes, my ballot is my fancy, pretty signature of age 18 when I had lots of time to sign my name and it was still fun. Age 48 signature is much sloppier and super fast.

[Coyotl]

26. PLUS, vote early and your phone stops ringing off the hook, the mail stops coming filled with flyers

and the election workers stop knocking on your door! They make the information public and the campaigns really use it down to thew last minute, focusing on those who have not yet voted.

People are very motivated to vote early so that they do not keep getting pestered by the politicos.

[DonRedwood]

52. Absolutely!! If you don't mail it in quickly

the phone starts to ring...but we don't have all the advertising and crazy last-minute voter pushes that other states have.

[xxqqqzme]

30. When I signed up to be

a poll worker, I had to attend a training class. The Registrar of Voters briefly addressed the class. A question about VBM was asked. He responded saying he wished everyone would vote by mail. It is smart fiscally and logistically. Don't have to solicit for polling places or poll workers Don't have to pay to transport voting machines, pick them up or store them. It also would cut down on printing costs. Other than English ballots would be mailed directly to those designating their preferred language (rather than printing the ballot in 6 languages as is now required). The savings would be huge!

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

31. I moved to Oregon from San Diego in 2005,

this is a far superior system and with a paper trail I might add.

[nadinbrzezinski]

35. What you do not like my Registrar of Voters?

There is a reason I have not moved to vote by mail... a good reason for it actually. I want my vote to count.

As a reporter though that can be problematic, so I vote in between stories.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

39. I agree with you on absentee ballots in San Diego.

When I worked on the Donna Frye campaign, we heard that many absentee ballots are not counted unless the vote was close.
But here in Oregon, I'm not aware of any votes going uncounted.

[nadinbrzezinski]

41. Which is one of the reasons Frye lost

Ah that brings me into all kinds of what we suspect is going on here... yes two F bombs (felony and fraud), but proving them would be next to impossible.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

74. Yes yes, after living in San Diego since 1944

and knowing it's history, as well as observing the machine up close and personal, I clearly understand what you are saying.
To bad Donna didn't become mayor, but then again, the powers to be would have probably stopped her from being effective.
Skip & Donna were my fiends.

[ahlnord]

32. reliance on postal service

So what happens when they take down the Post Office?

[DonRedwood]

56. yeah...that can't happen

iwould never trust a business with my ballot since, if the ballot isn't there by election day it doesn't get counted. Whole neighborhoods, in a flawed system, could be misplaced for a few days.

So, obviously "mail in" voting relies on "mail."

[Speck Tater]

77. I have lived here in Oregon for 40 years and...

never been more than two miles from an official county ballot drop box where I can drop my ballot off in person if I don't trust the mail, or if I'm too late for the mail to deliver it on time.

[DonRedwood]

88. Nice. I dropped mine off once--i was out of stamps and hadn't

got to the post office. It was still easier than having to stand in line and vote and it was much, much, much faster.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

101. Yes, when I lived in Portland, there were dropoff points all over the place

There was plenty of time to mail in the ballot if you didn't procrastinate, but if you did, there were dropoff points in all kinds of public buildings, such as libraries, and as the official election day drew closer, there were dropoff points in places with heavy foot traffic, such as Pioneer Courthouse Square.

When I did GOTV phoning on election day, it was to remind people that they only had till 8PM to get their ballots in. (Some people seemed to have the ballots confused with income tax returns and thought the deadline was midnight, but I was able to tell them where the nearest dropoff point was.)

[Bette Noir]

100. My dollbaby Senator Merkely made sure that the post office closures won't affect any rural POs

where people are more than... I think it's 9 miles from town. I don't remember the wording, but he made sure that people will still get to vote-- and get their meds. We have a lot of retirees here.

[Bluenorthwest]

112. I drop on my own and my friend's ballots at the County Elections office rather than mail them

because to me, that qualifies as big fun. Big, big fun.

[Turbineguy]

33. In Snohomish County, Washington

they went to this system when it turned out that paper ballot voting in 2000 was 2/3rds for Al Gore and electronic ballots were 2/3rds for GW Bush. A guy in my precinct told me he actually caught the machine changing his vote to Bush.

The district was traditionally Democratic so the GOP gerrymandered the district to make it a swing district.

[ananda]

34. Yes, I've always thought that..

.. Reeps wouldn't win in a free and fair election.

[yodermon]

37. No wonder they want to Kill the Post Office. Pre-emptive strike against mail-in voting

and absentee ballots as well.

[Blanks]

95. That's the comment I was looking for.

After reading this thread; the GOP plan to kill the postal service finally makes sense.

[progress2k12nbynd]

40. I'm not sure how it's any easier for the elderly, minorities, etc. to put down a consistent address.

than it is to produce a state-issued ID. Enlighten me.

[StrictlyRockers]

45. Wait. What??

What the heck? What a silly statement.

[DonRedwood]

57. it is against the law to have the wrong address on your license

so, when you change your address at the DMV you can change your voting address too...not rocket science.

A lot easier to change your voting address and fill out your ballot at home at your leisure than it is to get it changed on a license.

I mean, how easy is it for someone who is elderly, minority, etc. to go and get a license with that new address--heck of a lot harder than changing your address to vote.

[Bluenorthwest]

114. Minorities don't have consistent addresses?

Wow. Do you mean all minorities, or just some? Can you be more specific?

[smirkymonkey]

49. Just received my registration affirmation card in the mail.

I am now a regstered Democrat in Boston, MA.

[DonRedwood]

58. yay! now register a friend! :0)

[MFM008]

59. WA

Same here in Washington State. Part of the solid blue West coast the right hate so bad.

[DonRedwood]

63. Do you know if all of washington has it or just some counties?

[marlakay]

72. I think it read its all counties but one now nt

[Carla in Sequim]

96. Washington State does it right!

We moved here last year (Clallam County) and we were registered to vote with one press of a button when we got our drivers licenses. AND, they do not ask for party affiliation! Top two winners run in the general.

We also get the ballot w/envelope by mail. Fabulous!

[MFM008]

107. I thought it was ..

I thought it was the whole state however Im not sure about eastern WA which is like Idaho. Pierce County does I dont know about King county which really decides the elections, that includes Seattle.

[orpupilofnature57]

76. Genius , Ballots are the receipts of Democracy

You'd think with all the innovative think tanking ,we would of had that for the last 50 yrs.

[high density]

78. When are you guys going to allow people to pump their own gas into a car?

Really, I'd love to come visit... But I can't get past this.

[Nostradammit]

83. I am certain you are joking, but -

every time I visit another state now, having lived here in Oregon for ten years, when I pull into a gas station I sit in my car for several moments before I remember that nobody's gonna come out and do it for me. It's quite a luxury, really.

[Bette Noir]

103. I love having someone else pump my gas.

I've had several hand surgeries, and pumping my own gas can be painful.

[Bluenorthwest]

113. That's so funny, because other states force you to pump gas or, of course, pay a huge

premium for service. Those States allow their filling stations to go under attended, a single vulnerable employee on site. They employ fewer people (kill jobs) and create less secure neighborhoods and working environments while making customers do smelly, cold wet work.

[DonRedwood]

117. You turn off your car, sit there, pay, then drive away....um...it isn't very hard to do

[Pithlet]

124. All states should go full service, IMO

I miss even having the option of full service. No gas stations where I live now even offer it. It's all self serve, everywhere.

[bhikkhu]

80. I can say - it does work very well

I love being able to look over the ballot, particularly the ballot measures and smaller races, while relaxing at the computer and doing some reading and research on things. Being able to have conversations with family or with people at work while thinking things over is also a bonus. Having two weeks is great, and being able to do it by mail is really great!

[eridani]

87. A fly in the ointment

WA State also has mandatory vote by mail, and there have been some preliminary indications that people whose first languages are not in the Roman alphabet have higher than average signature rejection rates.

Immigrants and people who don't pay too much attention to politics often pay no attention to the phone call and two mail contacts requesting corrections.

That is why there need to be more options for in person voting in both states, IMO.

[DonRedwood]

91. We're on the front page! Thank you for the most awesome discussion

And I'm sure it's no big deal to most of you all but :0) This is the first time Good old donredwood has been on the front page in the top five. I was close once...a few votes away, and then a story broke and it overtook me just before I made it.

It's just a good feeling to have started such a good conversation. :0)

[RBInMaine]

92. In Maine ANYONE can request an absentee ballot and just do it by mail. LOTS of us do. Easy !

[DonRedwood]

94. yeah, but you gotta think ahead and make sure you request it in time...

it is an added step. Ours is automatic.

I mean, truly, all I'm saying is: if you actually put the ballot in their mailbox and make it ridiculously easier to vote, more people will do it.

But that's the human race in a nutshell.

[B Calm]

93. We could do that in every state

if not for republicans trying their best to suppress the vote!

But then we if not for the REPUBLICANS, we would also have clean air, the solar ice caps would not be melting, we would not be at war, make a decent wage and would all retire millionaires! Unfortunately, the only way these hard headed animal screwing MFer's to get the message, is to drop dead of obesity!!!! Then, God will enlighten them and only then will they see all the screwed up shit they have caused in this country.....to include War, Pestilence, Greed, Obesity, the Flu, Walmarts and McDonald's.

[Jessy169]

97. I live in Oregon, and that makes it hard to understand

why other states have so many problems with voting. I have often wondered, why don't they just do it like we do in Oregon? In answer to that question, I have been forced to conclude that a lot of states simply do not want everybody to vote, so they keep the messed up voting systems with the lines and the machines. How unfortunate.

[SunSeeker]

98. Sad but true. nt

[Lydia Leftcoast]

102. Yes, we have a Republican-dominated legislature in Minnesota pushing the ALEC-drafted

voter ID law as a state constitutional amendment.

The Republicanites go on and on about non-citizens and felons voting and people going from precinct to precinct to cast multiple votes and claim that photo ID would prevent this...EXCEPT that single ID in existence proves that an individual is a citizen, a non-felon, or a resident at a given address. Passports and birth certificates don't prove current address, and a driver's license says nothing about citizenship, so the state would have to provide a whole new ID system for free (or else it would be a poll tax).

[Bette Noir]

104. Some states (Oregon is one) require proof of citizenship to get a driver's license.

Voila! Driver's license proves citizenship.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

121. Probably more proof of LEGALITY than citizenship, because otherwise how would legal immigrants drive

until the however many years before they became citizens?

When I was teaching at a couple of Oregon colleges, the Japanese students would get driver's licenses there, because it was so much easier than the whole expensive and bureaucratic rigmarole they had to go through in Japan. But once they had a U.S. driver's license, all they had to do was exchange it for a Japanese one.

These students were not U.S. citizens, and in fact, had no intention of staying in this country after graduation, but they were in the U.S. LEGALLY on student visas.

[ErikJ]

106. That's why the Oregon T-Party is trying to get rid of it too.

[JTFrog]

111. I love this system.

The vote by mail system here beats all the other places I've lived in this country hands down. And because Portland is such an activist city, there are always people walking the streets registering voters.

[Bluenorthwest]

115. Here's an article about Oregon's use of i-Pads to allow greater access to voting for disabled

voters. The tablet is used to print a completed ballot, which is mailed or delivered just like other ballots. Elections officials bring the tablets to the people.
Our Sec of State, Kate Brown, is the best!
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/17/us/oregon-tries-out-voting-by-ipad-for-disabled.html

[mojo2012]

118. Oregon sets a good example

I lived in Oregon for over 30 years and had to move because of a job transfer. I miss the state terribly from a political standpoint (among other things). I had to move to UT which is 93% Republican and yes has one of the lowest voter turnouts in the country (which in a way is good for Democrats). I won't go into the number of biases I have about the state of UT, like being Democrat and non-LDS is equal to being a leper. I will remain on task of speaking on the original post. The Oregon mail-in ballot is extremely successful. You could read each measure thoroughly for pros and cons and vote after careful thought. In UT, it is so biased, you can check one box that casts "Straight Republican" regardless of who is running in opposition but they still have low turnout. Go figure. Regardless, it is sad to hear about all the states that have legislation to restrict voter participation further and to disenfranchise specific types of voters. All I can say, is GO OREGON, keep up the good work.

[Doctor_J]

119. Repukes are terrified of democracy

if the US would ever get to 70% voter participation, the GOP would be a bad memory in about 4 years. That's why they won't let people vote.

[bayareaboy]

120. This California boy ...

Would rather be in Oregon. it is not just voting, it's an early health coverage for children, it's for good senior programs, Wayne Morse, and the Ducks.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

123. I am voting absentee

It used to be you needed a reason....no more. Sick of the lines and dodging harassing teabaggers.

[99th_Monkey]

127. As an Oregonian myself, I LOVE vote-by-mail.

It is so awesome to be able to sit down for an evening, with all the
information I can gather (voters' pamphlet, news articles, etc.) and
cast my vote in the privacy of my kitchen table.

Just do it USA. As it sidesteps all the adversarial drama and hateful
"PROVE TO ME you can vote!!!" hype on election day.