Higher turnout
comes by mail
■The exclusively-by-mail
election sees the largest
voter response in eight years
By Darren Freeman
Oregon Daily Emerald
The secretary of state’s office es
timated late Tuesday night that
about 47 percent of Oregon regis
tered voters cast their ballots in
this year’s primary election,
which was Oregon’s first state and
presidential primary election to
be exclusively vote-by-mail.
That figure is up from the paltry
37 percent turnout in this Novem
ber’s special election and the
highest turnout since the 1992
primary, in which 49.1 percent of
registered voters weighed in.
Annette Newingham, Lane
County chief elections officer,
said the turnout was encouraging
for a primary election.
“We don’t get 70-80 percent
turnout in primary elections,” she
said.
Elections experts say voter
turnout always varies depending
upon voters’ emotional attach
ments to candidates and issues on
the ballot, but they also notice a
decline in voting due to dimin
ished confidence in government
and elected officials.
College-aged voters have signif
icantly retreated from the polls —
only about 8 percent of registered
Oregon voters aged 19-25 voted in
the May 1998 biennial primary
election.
“I’ve heard from students that
they don’t feel they are represent
ed and that they don’t have a lot
of respect for our elected offi
cials,” ASUO State Affairs Coor
dinator Arlie Adkins said.
The ASUO and several other
state and local organizations have
been striving to boost voter regis
tration and participation on cam
pus and throughout Oregon, and
such efforts have been successful
this year, according to the secre
tary of state’s office.
Adkins said the ASUO’s cam
paign was “a little more low-key”
than expected because many can
didates didn’t face significant op
position and most issues on the
ballot wouldn’t have lent them
selves well to debates on campus.
Nonetheless, the ASUO regis
tered roughly 400 students in the
past few months. The bulk of the
registrations occurred May 1
when the ASUO invited a hand
ful of Oregon politicians — in
cluding U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio,
D-Springfield, and state Rep. Vic
ki Walker, D-Eugene — to help
flag down students near the EMU
Amphitheater and compel them
to register.
Adkins said the ASUO will ac
celerate its registration campaign
in the months leading into the No
vember general election.
Statewide, organizations such
as Student Vote 2000 and the sec
retary of state’s office contributed
to the relatively high turnout by
encouraging students and their
parents to cast their ballots, said
Amy Cody, aid to the secretary of
state.
The so called “double majority”
rule, passed by voters in 1996 and
1997 to require at least a 50 per
cent voter turnout to pass certain
property tax measures, also con
tributed to increased turnout as
vested interests, such as school
districts, have compelled Orego
nians to vote, Cody said.
Though critics of vote-by-mail,
such as state Rep. Tony Corcoran,
D-Cottage Grove, say a hybrid of
vote-by-mail and polling places
would increase turnout, elections
officials say polling in Lane Coun
ty would cost at least $175,000 to
staff and do little to boost turnout.
Results
continued from page 1
Retired English teacher and in
cumbent of the City Council seat
for Ward 2 Betty Taylor led her
race with 58.3 percent of the vote.
“I had a good record and I had
a good campaign,” Taylor said. “I
will [continue to] work for the
rights of ordinary people for the
environment.”
Bobby Green Sr., a current Lane
County commissioner, led the
race for county commissioner for
North Lane County Position 4
over Kitty Piercy with 55.2 per
cent of the vote, and Lane County
District Attorney Doug Har
cleroad had 67.7 percent of the
vote to seemingly keep his posi
tion.
Sharon Branstiter secured the
Democratic nomination for state
representative of District 4, while
Alan Brown, who ran unopposed
within his party, is now the Re
publican candidate.
Democrat Vicki Walker also ran
unopposed and was able to secure
the spot of state representative of
the 41st district.
Apparently emerging victori
ous from the various races were
the two Eugene ballot measures
aimed at schools, 20-33 and 20
28. Measure 20-33, with 60.1 per
cent of the votes in favor, allows
for the building of two new
schools in the Bethel School dis
trict while expanding two others
to accommodate continuing en
rollment growth.
Measure 20-28, with 61.4 per
cent of voters supporting it, im
poses a local serial option tax levy
to maintain the current level of
funding in the 4J school district.
Voter turnout as of 7:30 p.m. Tues
day was 53.5 percent, ensuring
the successful results would
count.
Falling short was Eugene Ballot
Measures 20-31, which would
have authorized the construction
of new facilities for both the po
lice and fire departments.
Torrey said that he was disap
pointed that Eugene’s Ballot Mea
sure 20-31 to fund the construc
tion of new police and fire
department facilities failed.
"If I was a voter, I would have
voted for both [the school meas
ures and Measure 20-31] because
I believe in teaching kids to read
before the third grade,” Torrey
said.
Passing with 51.6 percent of the
vote, Eugene Ballot Measure 20
30 will allow the Eugene Water
and Electric Board to expand into
telecommunications activities.
o
Local positions Local measures
M Mayor
JimTorrey
(71.2%)
Mayor of Eugene since 1996,
Torrey attended the Universi
ty and worked irvreal estate
and media services. He has
outspokenly advocated pro
viding more recreational serv
ices for children, improving
Bonny
Bettman
(57.3%)
Bonny Bettman attended the
University and holds a nurs
ing degree from Lane Com
munity College. A veteran
community activist, Bettman
hopes to protect environ men
tal concerns, create a city center downtown and
strengthen a sense of community in neighborhoods.
City Council Ward 2
Betty Taylor
(58.3%)
BettyTayfor, a University
graduate, has served on the
Eugene City Council since
1997 and has been a stalwart
supporter of environmental
concerns. She also advocates
revitalizing downtown, creat
ing a downtown youth center
and reducing the city’s dependence on property tax
es.
Lane County Board of Commisioners
Bobby
Green Sr.
(55.2%)
Bobby Green Sr., a University
graduate, has served on the
Lane County Board of Com
missioners since 1995and
has served on the Eugene City
Cou ncil. He su pports add ress
mg tramc problems proactively, encouraging eco
nomic growth without sacrificing Eugene's green
lands and creating social service programs for trou
bled youths to help prevent crime.
District Attorney
Doug
Harcleroad
(67.7%)
Doug Harcleroad, the current
District Attorney for Lane
County, graduated from the
University of Iowa and the
University of Oregon Law
School. He has worked exten
Isiveiy on services tor victims, including creation of
the Child Advocacy Center, development of the Vic
tim Services program and assistance in founding the
Domestic Violence Council.
Measure 20-28
Passing (61.4% yes)
Measure would authorize a local option serial tax
levy that wouldbe used to maintain current levels of
funding in the 4j school district.
Measure 20-29
Failing (50.4% no)
Amends the Eugene City Charter to allow city coun
cilors to be paid $1t00Q a month and mayors $1,500.
The elected officials would also gain access to the
city’s retirement and insurance plans.
Measure 20-30
Passing (51.6% yes)
Amends the Eugene Water and Electric Board’s char
ter to allow the public utility to consider becoming a
telecommunications provider.
Measure 20-31
Failing (53.4% no)
Would authorize a $36.6 million tax levy to build new
downtown police and fire stationsand replace the
current facility, which has been deemed seismically
unsafe.
Measure 20-33
Passing (6o.i%yes)
Would authorize a $27.5 million bond measure to
build two new schools in the Bethel school district
and expand current school buildings.
** I guess
everyone's still
partying and
they forgot to
vote.
Lazar Makyadath
former candidate for mayor