University alumnus creates new comic Eugene map | 6
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Since 1900 \ Volume 106, Issue 48 | 'Ihesday, November 2, 2004
Frenzied
election
race nears
finish line
Polls close today at 8 p.m.;
Democrats, Republicans
scrutinize election superstitions
BY MEGHANN M. CUNIFF
NEWS REPORTER
With the countdown to Election Day now
complete, the political atmosphere at the Uni
versity has swelled to an almost combustible
state. Some are excited. Some are ecstatic.
Some may not care. But almost everyone has
some sort of opinion as to which direction
America should go and who should lead us
there.
Oregon State University junior Kyle Imholte
said the country is so polarized in the race be
tween the two major campaigns that get-out
the-vote efforts have become almost
marathon-like.
“Whoever is able to get the most people on
their side to go out and vote is going to win,”
Imholte said.
Imholte, a member of the College Republi
cans, will be joining University junior Antho
For a map of election ballot
drop boxes in the Eugene
area turn to page 6.
VOTE TODAY
ny warren, state execu
tive director for the
College Republicans,
and other members in
Portland today to help
with get-out-the-vote ef
forts in Oregon’s most populated area —
Multnomah County.
Warren said President Bush’s supporters
will be canvassing and making phone calls all
day to ensure every Republican vote reaches
the ballot box by the 8 p.m. deadline.
College Democrats are using similar tactics.
Many participated in a massive canvassing ef
fort this past weekend sponsored by the pro
John Kerry group Carry Oregon.
“Young people in this election have been
critical,” Carry Oregon volunteer D’Ann Atkin
son said.
Many Carry Oregon volunteers will be
spending Election Day on the phone with vot
ers in Hawaii, Pennsylvania and the other hot
ly contested swing states.
“We’re weaving our efforts into the other
states because most people have already voted
by that day,” Atkinson said.
Atkinson said the surge of student volun
teers that started in the summer did not falter
once school started. He added that while mo
mentum has not slowed for either side since
the first presidential debate, no one will be dis
appointed to see the campaign come to a
close.
“It’s sort of settled in that the day after to
morrow it’s over and we’ve done the best we
can to see this election to its conclusion and
get the results we want,” Atkinson said on
Sunday.
Warren agreed that everyone is looking for
ward to a much-needed break on Nov. 3.
“On both sides there’ll be some feeling of re
lief that it’s over,” Warren said. “Obviously on
the winning side there’ll be more relief.”
Atkinson said Carry Oregon volunteers are
“cautiously optimistic” about the race and,
with time left for only last-ditch efforts, many
have become a bit superstitious, citing the
Green Bay Packers’ victory over Washington
D.C. on Sunday as a sure-fire sign Kerry will
win the election.
Every time the Packers beat Washington D.C.
during a presidential election the incumbent is
ELECTION, page 6
★ AMERICA VOTES 2004 ★
Tim Bobosky | Photographer
Colin Elliott describes the process that got him standing in front of a TV camera in the basement of the
Knight Library every Monday morning for the last four weeks. His blog for The Oregonian led MSNBC to
select him for a weekly segment on undecided voters.
Student swing voter
makes national TV
Colin Elliot appears on CNBC, MSNBC live from Knight Library
to share his views on the presidential campaign, issues, candidates
BY JARED PABEN
NEWS EDITOR
Senior history major Colin Elliott didn’t
speak on national television seven times
because he performed an incredible feat,
was a widely popular celebrity or had an
amazing story to tell the nation.
Instead, Elliott made two appearances
on a CNBC show and five on MSNBC be
cause he didn’t do what most college stu
dents in this swing state have: make up his
mind about which presidential candidate
to vote for.
Throughout October, Elliott and three
other undecided voters across the country
made weekly appearances on MSNBC’s
“The Undecided Voter” to talk about how
they feel about the presidential campaigns.
CNBC also asked Elliott to make two ap
pearances on “Capital Report” telling the
nation how he feels about issues and can
didates. For the past nine months, the lib
ertarian-leaning student wrote a blog for
The Oregonian newspaper’s Web site,
pouring his thoughts onto an electronic
UNDECIDED, page 4
University
researchers
to forecast
president
State exit poll results being
compiled by an Oregon Survey
Research Laboratory team
BY ANTHONY LUCERO
NEWS REPORTER
Researchers at the University’s Oregon Sur
vey Research Laboratory have been tapped to
compile exit poll results for the presidential
election and provide the final numbers to net
works such as CNN, Fox News and the Assn
ciated Press. Exit poll results try to predict the
presidential race by asking anonymous citi
zens who they voted for and their demo
graphics, which allows for voter analysis, esti
mates on outcome and outlines voter trenos.
The project's research team conducted the
exit polls over the phone to see who Oregon
voters decided should be the next president.
The team began the interviews on Oct. 22, the
first day that mail-in ballots became available
to voters.
While traditionally polls are conducted a?
voters leave the voting stations, the same
can’t be done in Oregon because of its mail
in ballot system.
“Since we are conducting the exit poll over
the phone and not outside the voting booths
like in typical states, it’s a little more diffi
cult,” said political science professor Joe!
Bloom, who directed the project.
He said with early voting and absentee bal
lots, it’s getting more difficult for other states
to conduct exit polls.
“There are 13 states where they have to do
both phones and go into the voting booths,”
Bloom said. With traditional exit polls, analysis
and trends are easier for pollers to understand
than over the phone, he said. The research
EXIT POLLS, page 12
Sudafed access restricted in Oregon
Restrictions on sale of cold medications containing the decongestant
pseudoephedrine are hoped to fetter methamphetamine production
BY KARA HANSEN
NEWS REPORTER
The state pharmacy board has enacted
new restrictions that will move many non
prescription cold medications behind the
counter in an effort to curb methampheta
mine production in Oregon.
The restrictions limit sales of prod
ucts, such as Sudafed, that contain
the decongestant pseu
doephedrine. The drug can be
used to manufacture methamphet
amines, according to a press re
lease from Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s
office.
Starting Nov. 15, only licensed
pharmacies will be able to sell products
that contain pseudoephedrine as the
only active ingredient. Retail stores can
still sell pseudoephedrine products with a
combination of active ingredients, but they
must be sold from a secure counter and
those purchasing them must show photo
identification.
Kim Shore, who coordinates food service
for the Union Market at the EMU, said she’s
not yet sure how the restrictions will affect
the store.
“As far as the new pseudoephedrine re
strictions are concerned, we don’t know at
this point to what extent they’re going to af
fect our sales at the store,” Shore said. “But
we will most definitely
strive
to comply with the
temporary regulation by the
Nov. 15 deadline.”
Although the University Bookstore sells a
variety of cold medications, it offers only a
few that contain pseudoephedrine.
“We don’t sell very many of those prod
ucts,” General Manager Jim Williams said.
"But we have realized we need to put them
in a more secure location.” He said cold
medications will likely be available at the
store’s front register nearest to sportswear
and electronics.
The University Health Center pharmacy
will not be strongly affected by the new reg
ulations, which the pharmacy basically fol
lowed before they even existed, manager
Julie Dewsnup said.
“At the pharmacy here, it has always been
behind the counter,” she said. “We’ve al
ways been watching quantity because
it’s a drug with potential for abuse.”
Kulongoski requested the Ore
gon Board of Pharmacy to im
plement the emergency 180
day rule and will work with
legislators during their next
session to make the rule perma
nent.
“I want all retailers who currently sell
pseudoephedrine products to be able to con
tinue to sell those products, but in a secured
fashion that prevents would-be ineth cooks
from endangering Oregon’s children,” the
governor said in the press release.
karahansen@ daily emerald, com