■ MONDAY: Opinion
j* TUESDAY: Politics
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WEDNESDAY: Opinion
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THURSDAY: Politics
FRIDAY: Opinion
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a voter’s guide to the 1996 election and a look at life on the campaign trail
What do you think?
Are you more likely
to vote-by-mail or
go the polls?
Let us know.
POLITICS
hM\y
Student government makes
registering to vote easy
Haven't regtstered to vote, ixit
want to?
Its Btety Urtfversity student
government volunteers wtfi find
you. Throughout the next couple of weeks
they’ll bring voter registration cants to
populated areas including the bookstore,
photo identification lines, residence halls and
program open houses. They also sent voter
registration cards to students via mail and
have provided drop boxes around campus.
“We want to get students where they are,
and not make them come to us," said Leslie
Gray, state affairs coordinator for student
government.
Their goal is to register 8,000 students
before the Nov. 5 election, the highest
number of any Oregon State System of
Higher Education school and almost 50
percent of the student population.
In 1994, the University was recognized in
Mother Jones magazine for registering 7,400
students to vote.
Registration forms are also available at
The Lane County Elections Division office at
135 E. Sixth Ave. and most government
buildings.
The deadline to register for the Nov. 5
election is Oct. 15 at 5 p.m.
Negative advertising draws
voters to the polls
Slinging mud may actually
increase voter turn-out, a
University political scientist
said. Priscilla Southwell found
inai voiers onen respona to negative Daiiot
measure advertising by voting. When people
fear the consequences of a measure passing,
voter turn-out increases, she said.
However, negative campaigns between
candidates often have the opposite effect,
she said. In this case, voters feel neither
candidate is worth their vote and stay away
from the polls. Negative campaigns can turn
away moderate voters who would be more
likely to vote for an opponent, she explained.
— compiled by Shana Cohn and Doug Irving
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Vote-by-mail possible for all elections
■ THE FUTURE:
Commission recommends
vote-by-mail be used for
all future elections in
the state /
By Sharia Cohn
Potties Editor
Leaving the comfort
of your apartment or
residence hall to vote
at the polls could be
come a thing of the
past in Oregon.
Members of a 12
person commission
appointed by Secre
tary of State Phil Kies
ling recently recom
mended extending
vote-by-mail to all
elections.
“We found that a
strong majority of Ore
gonians prefer voting
by mail,” Commission
Chairwoman Jean Tate
said in a news release.
“In weighing the pros
and cons over an eight
month period, our
commission came
down firmly on the
/ Mai! Ballots Work
Participation in Vote-by-Mail elections
increased while the costs decreased.
VOTER TURNOUT
so
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0%
66.3%
56.1% 57.9%
|>93 jg'95 H'96
Traditional Mail Mail
COST PER VOTER
SOURCE Oregon
Secretary of State
COSMOS CORBIN
DENNIS BOLT
side of expanding use of mail ballots.”
The commission voted unanimously to
extend vote-by-mail to all primary elec
tions, and by a vote of eight to two, ex
tended it for all elections except the presi
dential election. Two commission
members were out of the country during
the vote.
Kiesling will use the commission’s find
ings to push for a permanent vote-by-mail
system during the January session of the
Legislature. In 1995, the Legislature
passed a bill to make all elections by mail,
but it was vetoed by Governor John
Kitzhaber.
“Phil is very hopeful the legislature will
pass it again and the governor will sign it,”
said Cynthia Griffin, executive assistant to
Kiesling. "For [Kiesling] it’s past time to
do this because continuing to vote through
absentee ballots and polling places is inef
ficient and confusing.”
Currently, vote by mail is prohibited in
primary and general elections. But Griffin
said people are doing it anyway. “When a
vote by mail election is not offered, Orego
nians are voting absentee in record num
bers.”
Absentee voters, people who request a
mail ballot during polling elections, have
continued to increase over the last six
years. In the May 1996 primary election,
absentee voters accounted for more that 36
percent of all ballots cast, up from 22 per
cent in the 1994 general election, accord
ing to the Secretary of State’s office. In
some Oregon counties, half of the voters
are registered absentee.
The commission made its recommenda
tions after studying the use of vote-by-mail
in two special U.S. Senate elections held
in December and January. They were the
first statewide partisan elections conduct
ed entirely by mail.
The commission also found that vote
by-mail elections had higher participation,
were less expensive and more convenient.
But commission opponents said vote
by-mail makes voting too easy.
Turn to THE FUTURE, Page 4
■ THE IMPACT: Students benefit from
vote-by-mail if they keep their voter
registration updated
By Shana Cohn
Politics Editor
Whatever your voting method prefer
ence — a drive to the polls or sealing an
envelope and licking a stamp — some be
lieve voting by mail benefits students.
“It gives students the excellent potential
to strengthen the power of their vote,” said
Mark Rhinard, a political science graduate
from the University. “Most students are
coming to realize that vote by mail is more
convenient, gives them more opportunity
to study the issues and vote wisely.”
Rhinard was a member of the 12-person
commission that evaluated "vote-by-mail”
and recommended extending its use to all
elections in Oregon. But, he said, in order
for vote-by-mail to work for students, they
must update their voter registration every
time they move or changes parties.
"There are a very low percentage of stu
dents that stay in the same place from
election to election,” said Leslie Gray,
ASUO state affairs coordinator.
Lisa Gillie, a graduate student in sports
psychology at the University, said voting
by mail is practical for students.
“You don’t have to worry about getting
off of work or going to the polls at a certain
time to vote,” said Gillie. “It’s not always
convenient to travel to those destina
tions.”
Although she hasn’t voted by mail,
Gillie believes it would also give students
more time to study the issues at their own
pace.
Even so, vote-by-mail hasn’t come with
out concerns. Because the student popula
tion is highly mobile, the commission has
studied the possibility of increased voter
fraud.
“We did look into scores of ballots re
ceived at fraternity houses where people
have moved away and others could forge
signatures,” said Jim Westwood, Portland
commission member. But the commission
found no greater incidence of fraud in
vote by mail elections. “It's easy to do, but
hard to get away with.” Westwood said.
Election offices are required to cross
check signatures on every ballot received
and there have been few cases where sig
natures didn’t match.
A look at some of the 23 ballot measures that will be
facing voters in the Nov. 5 election
THE MEASURE
Measure
39
WHAT IT WOULD DO
Amend the Oregon constitution to prohibit
government and private insurance companies
from discriminating against any health care
providers. It also would define “health care
provider". Insurance agencies could control
costs as long as they did not violate the
measure.
WHAT IT WOULD DO
Raise taxes on cigarettes from 1.4 cents to 2.9
cents per cigarette and on other tobacco
products from 35 percent to 65 percent of the
wholesale price. Revenue would go to the OHP
and to smoking prevention.
ARGUMENTS FOR
Alternative treatments, including
acupuncture and naturopathic
treatments, would be insured.
Because such treatments may cost
less than traditional treatments, the
measure could reduce health care
costs. Could extend the Oregon
Health Plan (OHP) to more
Oregonians.
ARGUMENTS FOR
Would curb youth tobacco use by
raising prices. Could help fund
OHP with additional revenue.
Would also provide more revenue
for smoking prevention programs.
ARGUMENTS AGAINST
Could drive up health care
costs by up to $30.4 million as
well as boosting the cost of
workers' compensation. Could
undermine the OHP. Puts
confusing language into the
Oregon Constitution.
ARGUMENTS AGAINST
Would unfairly tax tobacco
users. Provides the OHP with
an unstable financial source.
The legislature could cut
funding out of the OHP to
counter any increase brought
in by ballot measure 44.
SOURCES: Oregon Secretary of State Elections Division & The Register-Guard