I really like this vote by mail. It is so convenient. I do miss going to my neighborhood polling place; however, I like the mail better.
Also, when you get your ballot, the sooner you mail it in (be sure to do your homework first so you know who you’re voting for), the sooner you stop receiving those phone calls reminding you to mail in your ballot.
Dan, Here’s what I’ve always done. I figure out what or who I’m voting for before the ballots come out. That way when the ballot comes out I can vote as soon as I get it. The reason I do this is so that one, I don’t forget to vote until the last minute and two, so that once I vote I don’t have to pay attention to all the political ads.
In a few months, I’ll be the one with the political ads….go figure.
Hey Rick, I have a question that sort of fits with this topic: What is the deal with the voter’s pamphlet? It is organized very poorly, in my opinion. In the effort to make it fair, they have made it impossible to find anything. Why can’t it be organized office by office again, rather than by party and that crazy invented alphabet? Some say that since the primary is along party lines, they divide it up by party to make it easier. Most people that I have heard opine on the issue however don’t like the way it is organized. Can you maybe add “Well organized voter pamphlets for all Oregonians” to your platform?? Also, any way of avoiding sending near as many of Oregon’s trees processed into paper by mail that these pamphlets consist of? Internet comes to mind, but I know not everyone has internet access. I don’t have the pamphlet in front of me, but I know a certain percentage of it is recycled material. Better than nothing, I guess.
Yeh, I don’t like the way it’s laid out either. I agree the offices should be together not separated by party. I like the idea of the internet to save money. Again, when I was President of the City Club of Eugene we had this same conversation. We put out a monthly newsletter and that was expensive. We talked about just putting it on the internet but there are still enough people who want a paper copy that we didn’t do it.
Imagine your morning without a newspaper. You young folks probably could live just fine that way but you have to wait until the old timers (thats’ me) are no longer around to take away all the paper.
You will find this very funny….I opened my ballot the other night to fill it out. It was the flippin’ REPUBLICAN ballot. Good grief. Your name LEAPT off the paper at me. While I LOVED seeing your name there, I was a bit irritated, and then concerned that I wouldn’t be able to switch it. But I did, so all is well in my lovely little left-wing corner of the world.
They didn’t really say anything. I just told them I got the wrong ballot and he took it, looked me up, and then got me the correct one. As SOS, can you make sure that doesn’t happen to me again. It nearly gave me heart failure.
You’ve been a registered Democrat for a long time right? I mean I know you’re still in your 20’s but it makes you wonder how that sort of thing can happen. I’ll see what I can do when I get there.
I’m an opponent of vote by mail due to a philosophical objection. IMO, the only truly safe place for my vote is: inside my head. As long as my brain holds my vote, it’s 100% safe. Once my vote is externalized, into whatever physical (or, horrors, electronic) form, it’s subject to tampering or misplacement.
Without calling anyone any names or suggesting any malfeasance, I will simply say that I don’t like my vote being “out there” (anywhere) for any longer than is absolutely necessary. The most foolproof system is to cast and count all the votes on the same day, in full view of anyone who wants to observe. The further we get from that, the more skeptical I become. A weeks-long voting process is something I would never even consider, if it were up to me. Sure, it’s convenient, but there are other factors. I’d rather be minorly inconvenienced if it means I can have confidence in the election process again.
Thanks for this blog, anyway. It’s good to see a candidate engaging the public this way.
Thanks for commenting. I love to engage people in the conversation. I think that’s where you find the real answers. We’ve been doing this long before I became a candidate. When I say “We” I mean a whole host of people who write, think and play on this blog. You are welcome anytime.
When I first registered to vote (May 26, 1979 - there goes the validity of your very very very nice comment about me being in 20’s - - thank you, btw), my dad took me to the Post Office, got me the card, showed me how to fill it out and told me to check “Republican”. I obliged. Shhh - that is a little known secret! I stayed a Republican through the next Presidential election, but I really didn’t have an idea about what either party stood for. I married in 81, had babies right away and, as a stay-at-home mom, I began to care more about what politics and elections meant. As I read and listened and learned more about the process, the parties, and all that, I resonated more w/ the Dems so I changed. That was probably 1981 or 2ish. So, that is the looooong answer to your question - yes, I’ve been a Democrat for a long, long time, and a fairly outspoken one at that. That’s why finding the Republican ballot in my mailbox just FLOORED me - - and amused some of my Republican friends. Yes - there’s a “S” there. You are not my only Republican friend!
Interesting thoughts shared by Jamie - - I’d never thought of it like that. I am always so darn happy to just get my ballot (well, last week aside), fill it out, drop it in the box and feel good about being a part of the process.
Vote count transparency is my major concern too. The further my vote is from me physically, whether through the Post Office, the elections office or outsourced to a third party vote counting corporation (typically electronic these days), or the more time passes, the less verifiable the vote was counted and counted correctly.
There is a very simple solution to this - precinct level vote counting. I trust a volunteer committee of my neighbors more than I do a third party, as there is accountability. If something goes awry, intentionally or not, it will be known by everyone. That level of security doesn’t exist with third party vote carriers and counters. It also builds trust and costs less.
The only drawback, if you can even call it that, is responsibility. It takes effort to talk to your neighbors. It’s entirely plausible to coordinate, as people already do this for church, school and work activities. Why not do it for choosing your representative that will affect your neighbors and even everyone throughout Oregon?
I really like this vote by mail. It is so convenient. I do miss going to my neighborhood polling place; however, I like the mail better.
Also, when you get your ballot, the sooner you mail it in (be sure to do your homework first so you know who you’re voting for), the sooner you stop receiving those phone calls reminding you to mail in your ballot.
C’mon folks… let’s get out there and vote!!
Dan, Here’s what I’ve always done. I figure out what or who I’m voting for before the ballots come out. That way when the ballot comes out I can vote as soon as I get it. The reason I do this is so that one, I don’t forget to vote until the last minute and two, so that once I vote I don’t have to pay attention to all the political ads.
In a few months, I’ll be the one with the political ads….go figure.
Hey Rick, I have a question that sort of fits with this topic: What is the deal with the voter’s pamphlet? It is organized very poorly, in my opinion. In the effort to make it fair, they have made it impossible to find anything. Why can’t it be organized office by office again, rather than by party and that crazy invented alphabet? Some say that since the primary is along party lines, they divide it up by party to make it easier. Most people that I have heard opine on the issue however don’t like the way it is organized. Can you maybe add “Well organized voter pamphlets for all Oregonians” to your platform?? Also, any way of avoiding sending near as many of Oregon’s trees processed into paper by mail that these pamphlets consist of? Internet comes to mind, but I know not everyone has internet access. I don’t have the pamphlet in front of me, but I know a certain percentage of it is recycled material. Better than nothing, I guess.
Yeh, I don’t like the way it’s laid out either. I agree the offices should be together not separated by party. I like the idea of the internet to save money. Again, when I was President of the City Club of Eugene we had this same conversation. We put out a monthly newsletter and that was expensive. We talked about just putting it on the internet but there are still enough people who want a paper copy that we didn’t do it.
Imagine your morning without a newspaper. You young folks probably could live just fine that way but you have to wait until the old timers (thats’ me) are no longer around to take away all the paper.
You will find this very funny….I opened my ballot the other night to fill it out. It was the flippin’ REPUBLICAN ballot. Good grief. Your name LEAPT off the paper at me. While I LOVED seeing your name there, I was a bit irritated, and then concerned that I wouldn’t be able to switch it. But I did, so all is well in my lovely little left-wing corner of the world.
ps - switched my ballot, not your name. just clarifying. although….if i thought i COULD switch your name to my ballot, i would.
So I’m curious. What did the elections department tell you when asked why you are a Democrat and you ended up with a Republican Ballot?
They didn’t really say anything. I just told them I got the wrong ballot and he took it, looked me up, and then got me the correct one. As SOS, can you make sure that doesn’t happen to me again. It nearly gave me heart failure.
You’ve been a registered Democrat for a long time right? I mean I know you’re still in your 20’s but it makes you wonder how that sort of thing can happen. I’ll see what I can do when I get there.
I’m an opponent of vote by mail due to a philosophical objection. IMO, the only truly safe place for my vote is: inside my head. As long as my brain holds my vote, it’s 100% safe. Once my vote is externalized, into whatever physical (or, horrors, electronic) form, it’s subject to tampering or misplacement.
Without calling anyone any names or suggesting any malfeasance, I will simply say that I don’t like my vote being “out there” (anywhere) for any longer than is absolutely necessary. The most foolproof system is to cast and count all the votes on the same day, in full view of anyone who wants to observe. The further we get from that, the more skeptical I become. A weeks-long voting process is something I would never even consider, if it were up to me. Sure, it’s convenient, but there are other factors. I’d rather be minorly inconvenienced if it means I can have confidence in the election process again.
Thanks for this blog, anyway. It’s good to see a candidate engaging the public this way.
Thanks for commenting. I love to engage people in the conversation. I think that’s where you find the real answers. We’ve been doing this long before I became a candidate. When I say “We” I mean a whole host of people who write, think and play on this blog. You are welcome anytime.
When I first registered to vote (May 26, 1979 - there goes the validity of your very very very nice comment about me being in 20’s - - thank you, btw), my dad took me to the Post Office, got me the card, showed me how to fill it out and told me to check “Republican”. I obliged. Shhh - that is a little known secret!
I stayed a Republican through the next Presidential election, but I really didn’t have an idea about what either party stood for. I married in 81, had babies right away and, as a stay-at-home mom, I began to care more about what politics and elections meant. As I read and listened and learned more about the process, the parties, and all that, I resonated more w/ the Dems so I changed. That was probably 1981 or 2ish. So, that is the looooong answer to your question - yes, I’ve been a Democrat for a long, long time, and a fairly outspoken one at that. That’s why finding the Republican ballot in my mailbox just FLOORED me - - and amused some of my Republican friends. Yes - there’s a “S” there. You are not my only Republican friend! 
Interesting thoughts shared by Jamie - - I’d never thought of it like that. I am always so darn happy to just get my ballot (well, last week aside), fill it out, drop it in the box and feel good about being a part of the process.
Vote count transparency is my major concern too. The further my vote is from me physically, whether through the Post Office, the elections office or outsourced to a third party vote counting corporation (typically electronic these days), or the more time passes, the less verifiable the vote was counted and counted correctly.
There is a very simple solution to this - precinct level vote counting. I trust a volunteer committee of my neighbors more than I do a third party, as there is accountability. If something goes awry, intentionally or not, it will be known by everyone. That level of security doesn’t exist with third party vote carriers and counters. It also builds trust and costs less.
The only drawback, if you can even call it that, is responsibility. It takes effort to talk to your neighbors. It’s entirely plausible to coordinate, as people already do this for church, school and work activities. Why not do it for choosing your representative that will affect your neighbors and even everyone throughout Oregon?