Oregon "turnout" predicted at 85 percent or more.

[Arugula Latte]

As of Monday, 65 percent of all ballots in the state had been returned (we have all vote-by-mail here; there are no polling places; you can also drop your ballot off at designated sites).

The Secretary of State, Bill Bradbury, expects about 85 percent participation from the remaining ballots coming in today. It could be a record, beating 1960, if it goes into the upper-80th-percentile.

:thumbsup:

http://oregonlive.com/campaigncentral/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1099400342226090.xml

[ciaobox]

1. OMFG!

[fertilizeonarbusto]

7. I LOOOOOOOOVE your image!!!!!!!!!!

So many of my favorite people!

[greekspeak]

2. How does that system work? Is it pretty fair? Clean election?

?

[Buck Rabbit]

4. A tremendous system for getting high partcipation in a state

where you can count on nonstop rain most any day in November.

You fill out your ballot at home. Sign an inner security envelope. Mail in or drop off the ballot (ours went in over 2 weeks ago). When your ballot is received a poll worker checks the signature against an image of it on file on a monitor. They then record that you have voted, so you cant vote again. I was able to call last week and they were able to tell me they received my ballot and it was in good order.

[Arugula Latte]

5. It seems pretty clean to me.

First we get voters pamphlets mailed to us a few weeks before an election. These are great! They go into detail about the candidates and issues. Both sides are free to buy half-page spaces for "for" or "against" statements for each measure or initiative. That makes it very easy to vote on some of the less-publicized issues. I can look for those with endorsements from environmental groups, civil liberties groups, progressives, what-have-yous, and stay away from those endorsed by Repukes and other righties.

Our ballots arrive 2 to 3 weeks before the election. You fill out the ballot (fill in the bubbles like in high school), put it in a secrecy envelope, put it in the outer envelope, sign the back, and mail that sucker or drop it off. If you vote by mail, you have to make sure you mail it early enough for it to arrive on election day. So, a few days before the election, you're better off dropping it off at a library or other designated site.

The elections people check your signature on file against the ballot's. They open and prepare the ballots before the election but do not start counting until the actual day. They run them through some sort of scan machine; I'm not up on the particulars of the technology.

Sometimes there is grumbling about the system (mostly from Rethugs 'cuz they realize higher participation hurts them) but I'd say overall people love it.

[0007]

3. Holy Moly!

Vote as if your life depended on it, because it does.

Call 866 687-8683
If Poll Workers refuse you to vote for any reason
If there is a late opening or early closing of a polling place.
If your polling place runs out of ballots or has an incorrect ballot
If you experience poll worker insensitivity or discrimination in the voting process

The civil rights community have set up a toll-free Election Day hotline. This line is
staffed now and, in addition to logging your complaint, the civil rights organizations have law
students and attorneys who can provide assistance on Election Day.

the hotline number is
866 687-8683
202 457-0473 fax

[Protagoras]

6. A nice thing I saw about OR is that if your ballot is in question

They contact you and you have 10 days to verify it. So far I've had a hell of a lot less worry about OR than any other state. It was a bit wierd voting last week but hey...at least I have some faith that it got counted.

[progressivebydesign]

8. Washington State expecting 87%. n/t