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editorial 20-day voter cutoff will eliminate voters Oregon is the only state that allows voters to register on the day of an election. But the furor over voter-registration fraud in November’s Wasco County elections has caused a majority of our state legislators to push for a revision of registration laws. (Charges of fraudulently registered pro Rajneesh and anti-Rajneesh Wasco county voters circulated during November). The House State and Federal Affairs Committee is con sidering three bills that would alter the state’s registration laws. Two of the bills, sponsored by House Republicans, would establish a 20-day cutoff prior to an election. The first bill — House Joint Resolution 5 — is a constitutional amend ment that would create the 20-day cutoff. The second — House Bill 2066 — would do the same thing by amending the Oregon statutes. The Democratic alternative, which is sponsored by Secretary of State Barbara Roberts, would establish a four day cutoff with a requirement that voters provide proof of residency if they register between the 12th and fourth day before an election. Roberts believes it is inevitable that the Legislature will establish a new cutoff period because of the potential for fraud that exists within the present system. We believe the Democratic-sponsored bill — House Bill 2952 — is the best of the three plans. In 1982 about 100,000 Oregonians registered to vote in the 20 days prior to the state’s gubernatorial election; in 1984 about 75,000 people registered to vote during this same period. The majority of these registrants were people who had moved and forgotten to re-register, new state citizens unaware of Oregon’s election laws, and working people who did not have the time to register at the local board of elec tions. Roberts fears that if the 20-day cutoff were to become state law most of these people would be denied the oppor tunity to vote. State Rep. Randy Miller, R-Lake Oswego, argues that the 20 day cut-off would give local elections officials the op portunity to verify the validity of registration forms. Other supporters of this plan argue it is inconvenient for elections officials to process registration forms during the three-week period prior to an election. But Roberts — Oregon’s highest elections official — argues her plan will ensure that voters are legally registered. Roberts is convinced that a 20-day cutoff would be ruled unconstitutional. She cites a 1972 Tennessee case in which a court ruled that a state cannot disenfranchise voters simply for “administrative convenience.” She says her four-day cutoff will give elections officials adequate time to process registration forms. State officials have the responsibility to ensure the sanc tity of the elections process. They must identify fraudulently registered voters and guarantee the legitimacy of the elec tions process. But this does not mean they have the authority to pre vent eligible voters from casting a ballot simply because they registered during an inconvenient period. Our political pro cess will only survive as long as all eligible voters have the opportunity to vote. To deny anyone this opportunity is a violation of a trust that all government officials must fulfill. It is ironic that the sponsors of the 20-day cutoff argue for the vote-by-mail ballot because they believe it would in crease voter participation. But at the same time they support a registration revision that would disenfranchise thousands of Oregonians. Oregon doily emerald The Oregon Daily Emerald is published Monday through Friday except during exam week and vacations by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co., at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97403 The Emerald operates independently of the Universi ty with offices on the third floor of the Erb Memorial Union and is a member of the Associated Press. General Staff Advertising Director Susan Thelen Production Manager Russell Steele Classified Advertising Vince Adams Controller Jean Ownbey Advertising Sales: Laura Buckley, Tim Clevenger, Jen nifer Fox, Michael Gray - Intern, Robin Joannides - Intern, Carlos Laniadrid - Intern, Marcia Leonard, Rick Martz, Nancy Nielsen, Brett Pickman, Tim Swillinger, Laura Willoughby - Intern, David Wood. Production: Kelly Cornyn, Stormi Dykes, Manuel Flores, Kathy Gallagher, Dean Guernsey, Jackson Haring, Susan Hawkins, Kirk Hirota, Grant Keltner, Rob Kraft, Ross Mar tin, Karin McKercher, Lauri Neely, Kelly Neff, Kara Oberst, Curt Penrod, Michele Ross, Alyson Simmons, Peg Solonika, Karen Stallwood, Tim Swillinger, Colleen Tre maine, Hank Trotter, Mary VanCura. Paop 7.A letters EgA Tret, TK% TjUlNtC ft ixie 9ws Sure-fire hango/epoke Some comment Two letters to the Emerald on April 29 deserve comment. First: Steve Richkind must have either been trying to be cute or apparently he didn’t understand the satirical pur pose of Students for Bestiality. Dan Goulet never advocated “fomification with sheep.” The group’s function was to expose the fact that the only thing a particular deviation requires in the attempt to gain acceptance is political organization. And how anybody could say a display stating, “Bestialy— right sex, wrong species. Homosexuality— right species, wrong sex,’’promotes in terspecies sexL—any more than it promotes same sex relations— is beyond me. The purpose was to make people think about value clarification issues. Second: Jack Stranton’s at tempt to imply Christians view women merely as “sperm receptacles” is blatantly false. Christians see men and women as special creations and life as being part of our growth and maturation process. Reproduc tion is a natural and necessary part of life just as eating, sleep ing and breathing, but no single function is singled out as the sole function of existance. All are required for human life to exist — and all are natural. Nobody could argue that heterosexual sex was anything but natural but there’s no way anyone can justify the rectum being used as a sperm recep Editor Managing Editor News Editor Editorial Page Editor Photo Editor Sports Editor Sidelines Editor Friday Edition Editor Entertainment Editor Night Editor Associate Editors Administration Higher Education Politics ASUO Student Activities Community Features Michele Matassa Mike Sims Michael Kulaga Costas Christ, Dave Berns Brian Erb Brent De La Paz Sheila Landry Kim Carlson Michael Duncan Michael Kulaga Jolayne Houtz Scott McFetridge Paul Ertelt Mary Lichtenwalner Diana Elliott Cynthia Whitfield Lori Steinhauer Reporters: Sean Axmaker, Kirsten Bolin, Michelle Brence, Robert Collias, Julie Freeman, Thomas Henderson, Robin Joannides, Allan Lazo, Adam Worcester. Photographers: Dean Guernsey, Kirk Hirota, Jim Marks, Ross Martin, Karen Stallwood, Hank Trotter News and Editorial 686-5511 Display Advertising and Business 686-3712 Classified Advertising 686-4343 Production 686-4381 Circulation 686-5511 tacle. And apparently 98 per cent of American women fail to see anything desirable or natural about allowing another woman to salivate on or other wise play around with their vulva either. Michael Cross Senior History/Political Science An honest man The letter to the editor written by Dan Goulet (ODE, May 1), seems to advocate political extremes. Either you blindly love the United States or you absolutely hate it. What about us folks who feel blandly at ease with this coun try? What sort of political rela tionship should we have with our country anyway? The time has come for me to reveal the answer to this burn ing question: treat your country as your friend. You do not stand idly by while your friend wreaks havoc amongst his/her friends. Nor do you berate your friend, either to his/her face or behind his/her back. You feel a fondness, perhaps even love toward your friends, and yet you also care enough about them to try to help them improve themselves. Because my country is composed of my friends, it is natural for me to think of my country as my friend. Well, this is good and fine (and redundant), but what about those people in my coun try who I don’t view as friends, whom 1 may even consider as enemies? Do I avoid them like 1 would a bill collector? Or perhaps I might work to undermine them. I must admit, I don’t know the answer to this second burn ing question. (Another first in the Emerald letters section, so meone actually has admitted this). You’ll simply have to find out for yourself. Dean Livelybrooks Physics/Geology It’s a mistake The Incidental fee committee decision to reduce the Outdoor Program’s budget is partly bas ed on the fallacy theat com munity participation is a ‘‘free ride.” Program participation is a “cooperative” effort. The cost for activity involvement is split equally among all participants. The program resources available for use (i.e. wilderness/outdoor instruc tional literature, maps) are non consumable products that re main at the Outdoor Program. Community participation takes nothing away from students; on the contrary, it reduces individual activity costs, adds a greater diversity of outdoor expertise, which lead to safer trips, and adds to the “whole" fun and enthusiasm of the programs. To penalize the O.P. for being open to a more economical, diverse, and safe program is a mistake which hurts students and non-students alike. Richard Halpern Springfield Assembly line New students Here they come More on the conveyer belt Soon they’ll study the same things I did If all goes right, They’ll look like me and talk like me in four short years They look so excited The reflection on their smiling white teeth is death Before four years is over most will die — They will learn to think — Like I did For a meaningless search for meaning And a piece of paper that proves they know all those things which carry no meaning Excuse me while I wallow in disgust, self pity, enjoying it all the while and excuse me now while I vomit through this smile Oavid Menache Graduating on the bandwagon \A!~A_A_