Oregon Holds First Vote-By-Mail Election

Nearly three weeks before the general election, Oregon residents are preparing to start casting ballots - but not from the polls.

The state's all vote-by-mail general election, the first in the nation, gets underway Friday when county offices begin sending out more than 2 million ballots.

There are no more polling places. Voters can fill in ballots at home, then mail them or take them to drop boxes as long as they are returned to election offices by 8 p.m. on Nov. 7.

Secretary of State Bill Bradbury said Thursday he expects a voter turnout of 80 percent or better, partly because Oregon's unique system makes it more convenient to cast ballots.

But for candidates and political operatives, mail voting means the final push to win over undecided voters is a three-week marathon instead of a last-minute dash.

Democrat Gore's campaign announced Thursday that the vice president will campaign in Oregon on Sunday and Monday for the state's seven electoral votes, just as people begin marking their ballots.

“This is a very important time in Oregon,” Gore campaign spokesman David Chai said. “Al Gore understands that it's critical to be in Oregon with the ballots being dropped off.”

GOP vice presidential contender Dick Cheney will travel to Eugene on Tuesday, and George W. Bush will be returning to the state soon after that, Bush spokesman Dan Lavey said.

“We will have volunteers going door-to-door on Saturdays and Sundays for the next three weekends urging people to fill out their ballots and send them in,” he said. “What we normally would spend 12 hours doing we will be doing for three solid weeks.”

Despite the prolonged voting period, Bradbury believes a lot of people will hold onto the their ballots until the last-minute.

Some 40 percent of voters returned their mail ballots in the last two days leading up to the state's all-mail ballot primary on May 16. That, too, was the nation's first such primary.

“The main thing is there are 26 measures on the statewide ballot. That large number of measures to decide on will slow people down in casting their ballot,” Bradbury said.

Oregonians passed statewide vote-by-mail in 1998 after using the system for years in local contests and some special elections.

Critics have said the mail ballot offers too many possibilities for fraud.