COMMENTARY
Extend voter registration deadline through Election Day
By Paul Prensky
A ■ we My nowadays, there's something I'd like to
share with you all: the experience that capped and
summed up my Involvement with the ASUO voter
registration drive, which culminated Tuesday, Oct. 13.
That rally was superbly organized and succeeded on
two levels. First, more than 1,000 students chose to reg
ister. And second, the stars, especially Charles Dutton,
exhorted them to bacorno Involved — both before and
after the olecllon — in the polls and in the larger com
munity. He also challenged students to recreate the
spirit (not the excesses) of tho late 1960s and early
1970s today when we need It most.
Tho enthusiastic response to Dutton's heartfelt plea
was the most hopeful moment In all of my nxtensivo in
volvement in 1992 politics. Students are the ones who
can bring what's lacking to the democratic political pro
cess. More power to you.
The experience I referred to does huvo long-term im
plications, which arise out of the limits the ASUO drive
faced My friend Mac, who also worked extensively
with tho registration effort, came up with an idea the
previous Sunday: to hold a funeral for the unregistered
voter (which could also be understood to he a wake for
tho premature closing of the voter rolls 20 full days be
fore Election Day).
He built a pint-sizod coffin, painted it black and put
pallbearer handles on it. He brought it to the vice presi
dential debate-watching party on Tuesday. Oct 13. We
invited those attending to come to the funerul/wake for
the unregistered voter and the untimely end to registra
tion.
Six people, plus Mac and I. showed up at tho Election
77m vast tadaral bureaucracy
could ba mobUsad to sataguard
against potential voting fraud.
Bureau at 5:30 p.m. We each deposited an un(ful)fllled
voter registration card Into a slot on the coffin and (hen
Mac delivered a eulogy evoking "the good old days” be
fore 1906 when folks could register right up to Election
Day Itself.
Then a car drove up. Two women got out ond
knocked on the locked door of the Election Bureau
They wore hospital workers and had been let out of
work lute (circumstances beyond their control) A wom
an came out to the door and opened It but refused to
take their cards (it was 5:45 pm) This angered the
spurned potential voters, and one of them ripped the
two cards into little pieces
We started a conversation with them They said they
felt victimized cheated out of their right to vote We
commiserated and told them how the law used to lie
Before they left, they'd decided to (all their state repre
sentative and state senator and urge them to help
change the law, and to call the Koglslrr-Cuurtl and the
TV stations to complain publicly about this suppression
of their desire to participate In the political procars*
That wus and is my point. The dismal state of our |«>
litical processes can be positively changed only by the
participation of more and more "we-the-people" atti
tudes. Tho lust should facilitate that participation, not
impede it.
Oregon does have a motor/voter system that allows a
person to register to vote while getting a driver's license
or slate ID George Bush vetoed federal legislation that
would havo mandatod this nationally on the spurious
basis that fraud could occur. The same argument Is
used by those In our state legislature who have thwart
ed attempts to restore the up-to-and Includtng-Eloctlon
Day registration low we used to have
Beyond that, there's the concept of universal registra
tion; wo could automatically Issue a voter registration
card op your IHlh birthday based on your Social Securi
ty number. The logistics of name arid address changes
could easily be worked out, as could legal safeguards
against potential voting fraud The vast federal bureauc
racy could bo mobilized to do this.
Now is a good time lo focus on all this We havo can
dldates running for state representative, state senator,
secretary of state, congressional representative and U S
senulor who cure attoul these issues of our participa
tion Vour involvement in their campaigns may make a
difference in whether political reform is on the agenda
of the next Legislature and the next Congress
So think about it about the issues you can help de
cide and the candidates you can support or oppose.
Think about vour participation rights in general We
can change ihrse political laws via the Legislature or
the initiative process if necessary I II remember those
two women who walked away hurt and angry, and I'll
remember the hundreds of people I did register, who I
hojte will join me in taking hack the political pris esses
and institutions that Influence the quality of our lives.
I’uul I'rcnsky is rtiltor of tha Luno County Oregon for
Brown Grassroots Newsletter
LETTERS
Nightmare
As a nurse, I am Interested In
what I can do to improve the
quality of people's lives.
After reviewing the argu
ments to ktiop Trojan open, 1
was struck with the fact that a
very important point was not
discussed: the existing 400 tons
of high-level radioactive waste
sitting near the hunks of the Co
lumbia Rlvor, plus 220 tons
more If it remains open until
1996. Approximately 5,000
pounds of that waste is plutoni
um. It is so toxic that one
ounce can cause lung cancer in
100.000 people. That kind of
disaster is beyond the capabil
ity of our medical world.
We havo a lot of problems in
the world and here at home:
poverty, hunger, job*, crime,
and discrimination, to name a
few. None of thorn will mutter
if wo no longer have a place to
live and breathe, a place to call
home — our only homo —
planet earth
Wo aro the only creatures
that foul their own nc>st. In the
Native American tradition,
their actions were guided by a
philosophy of how their deci
sions would effect the seventh
generation. The ozone is being
destroyed, the oceans ure dy
ing, and our air. water and soil
are polluted 1 wonder if we
will have a seventh generation
If theru is un earthquake or
nuclear accident at Trojan, the
medical world cannot deal with
such a nightmare Trojan’s safe
ty record is the worst in ihe his
lory of nuclear power plants
Earthquakes. Three Mile lv
land. Chernobyl Could it never
happen hero?
Ruth H«y«s
Eugen*
Passion tree
I must say, I've never consid
ered a homosexual lifestyle tie
fore, but after Scott Lively's
comments aiiout sex and trees
during Tuesday night's debate,
I was beginning to find his
wood podium very attractive
indeed I'm even considering
luking out an ad in ihe person
als:
"SWM. non-smoker, seeks
cedar, preferably old growth,
for an intimate relationship I'm
into chainsaws, spiking and
very rough ti.irk I have no kids,
bul I'm very interested in rais
ing some squirrels and perhaps
a few swallows "
Mr Lively tain then waste Ills
time and the taxpayers' money
on a i ampulgn to discriminate
against "abnormul trees " Me
better lie careful though, lest an
unfriendly chair leave a splin
ter in bis bull
Mark Radar mac bar
English
Measure 9B
I propose Ballot Measure MB
You see. I'm not a Christian,
and though the great majority
of Christians are decant, tom
passionate citizens, there is a
small minority who art) push
ing their militant agenda on the
rest of us.
So to prevent this terrible ut
tai k nn mv values. I suy we
brand every single Christian
perverse and abhorrent, and in
sist the slate actively discour
age Christianity as a lifestyle
choice
And of course the Korun
brands Christians infidels. That
certainly must take precedence
over any civil laws we may
have, inane things that prevent
us from dii tatlng our unsullied
morality on unyone who hus
the unmitigated gall to txilievo
something different
Sound familiar'' No on <i
Jamla Bakum
Kappa Sigma
All You Can Eat
•UFFET SftCIAL
• Grr*l Uct* •
Fin* Quality
■ %MC
Who really supports
higher education?
Think twica about who you
vota for Nov. 3rd in Houm
District 41. Maria Bail has
sup port ad:
• Highar Education Budgat
• Faculty Ratantion Bill
• Funds for Industrialtod
Housing Projact at tha UO
• Coachas' Ratiramant Plan
• Sports Action Lottary Bill
br If—* «< M— m. iri4 <oW, tu. tm. o~t— r7*»i
EQUUS
by Peter Shaffer
University Theatre
November 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21 • 8pm
University Theatre Box Office 346-4191