Oregon (100% vote by mail/drop off ballot) -- Good news on ballot return stats

[Arugula Latte]

http://blog.oregonlive.com/mapesonpolitics/2010/11/other_turnout_rising_in_oregon.html

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At this point, 44.3 percent of all ballots returned have come from Democrats and 36.8 percent from Republicans The remaining 18.9 percent are in that "other" category.

A higher percentge of Republican voters have been returning their ballots, and they have in essence whittled the Democratic registration lead in this state by a couple of points. But it looks pretty clear that a lot more Democratic ballots are going to be cast in this election. (The latest figures show that 78,225 more votes have been cast by Democrats, out of a total of a little over one million returned ballots as of Monday night; at this rate, the Democratic voter margin will be up over 100,000 by tonight's 8 p.m. deadline).

That means Republican candidates in the major races - such as Chris Dudley in the contest for governor - are going to need to win a lot more Democratic voters than they lose from the Republican ranks. And they need to win the "other" category as well.

Interestingly, the highest turnout among minor-party voters is those registered with the Independent Party of Oregon. It also happens to be the state's largest minor party - in large part because that's precisely how a lot of voters think of themselves.

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[golddigger]

1. Oregon and Independent here. Voted str8 Dem.

[Arugula Latte]

2. Good job!

Hopefully there are enough Independents like you for Kitz to prevail. :)

[sandnsea]

3. Oh whew, that's a relief

I just read a snip about higher percentage of Republicans returning ballots and got a little nervous, but I see that doesn't necessarily mean more Republican ballots overall.

[Arugula Latte]

4. Right. It's kind of confusing.

Thank goodness we have a sizable registration advantage.

Also, I believe that Multnomah County/Portland is usually slower in returning ballots than the rest of the state. I could be wrong about that, though.

[On the Road]

5. Any Word on How it Compares to Normal Voting Patterns?

I would expect Dems to outweigh Republicans in any election. Just wondering. Guess we'll find out soon enough.

[Arugula Latte]

6. Usually Portland and Eugene and parts of the coast can outvote the rest of the state

Dudley (R candidate for Gov.) is an interesting factor, as he has been able to maintain a "moderate" image which might make him appeal to some Dems. and many Independents. However, if Dems. were really so depressed and Repubs. so fired up as the media would have us believe, I don't think we'd be seeing these return rates.