Oregon Ballot Measure 60 (1998)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The U.S. state of
Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
established vote-by-mail as the standard mechanism for voting with Ballot Measure 60, a citizen's initiative, in 1998. The measure made Oregon the first state in the United States to conduct its elections exclusively by mail. The measure passed on November 3, 1998, by a margin of 69.4% to 30.6%.Oregon Vote-by-Mail Timeline Results, Facts and Figures page 10 - State Measure 60
/ref>


History of postal voting in Oregon

Vote-by-mail had already been implemented to a lesser degree in Oregon: *1981 The Oregon Legislative Assembly approves vote-by-mail for local elections, at the discretion of the county; at least one polling place in the county had to remain open on election day. The move came after efforts by Del Riley, the County Clerk for Linn County. *1987 Vote-by-mail becomes permanent, with the majority of Oregon's
counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
making use of it. *1989 A House bill to extend vote-by-mail to include the 1990 primary elections was defeated in a 33–27, non-party-line vote. * 1992 Governor's Task Force on Local Government Services identifies statewide vote-by-mail as one of the most significant opportunities to save money on conducting elections. *1995 Oregon becomes the first state to conduct a federal primary election totally by mail. *1996 U.S Senator Ron Wyden is elected by mail with a 66% turnout, succeeding
Bob Packwood Robert William Packwood (born September 11, 1932) is an American retired lawyer and politician from Oregon and a member of the Republican Party. He resigned from the United States Senate, under threat of expulsion, in 1995 after allegations of ...
. '' *1998 Oregonians confirm their overwhelming support for vote-by-mail by passing Measure 60. *2000 Oregon becomes the first state in the nation to conduct a
presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...
entirely by mail. About 80% of registered voters participated. *2019 Oregon becomes the first state not to require paid postage on ballot return envelopes. Measure 60 eliminated restrictions on vote-by-mail and established it as the single form of voting for elections in Oregon. It also required vote-by-mail to be used for biennial primaries and general elections as well as eliminating polling places.


Supporters

Organizations which supported the initiative included the League of Women Voters of Oregon, the Oregon
League of Conservation Voters The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is an American environmental advocacy group. LCV says that it "advocates for sound environmental laws and policies, holds elected officials accountable for their votes and actions, and elects pro-environmen ...
, AARP of Oregon, and
Oregon Education Association The Oregon Education Association (OEA) is the largest public education employees' union in the U.S. state of Oregon, representing 44,000 teachers and classified personnel. It has local affiliates in each of the state's 199 public school districts, ...
. Individuals which supported the measure included then-
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
John Kitzhaber John Albert Kitzhaber (born March 5, 1947) is an American former politician who served as the 35th governor of Oregon from 1995 to 2003, and as the 37th governor of Oregon from 2011 until his resignation in 2015. A member of the Democratic Part ...
, Oregon Secretary of State Phil Keisling, and former U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield. Supporters of the measure asserted that it would increase voter participation and make elections more convenient for voters. The State of Oregon would also save an estimated $3 million a year, in years which a primary and general election occur.Voter's Pamphlet November 3, 1998
Includes text of measure, explanatory statement and arguments for and against.


Opponents

Notable opposition to the measure included State Representative Lynn Snodgrass and anti-tax activist
Bill Sizemore Bill Sizemore (born June 2, 1951) is an American political activist and writer in Happy Valley, Oregon, United States. Sizemore has never held elected office, but has nonetheless been a major political figure in Oregon since the 1990s. He is consi ...
. Opponents claimed the system would invite election fraud as well as the possibility of people pressuring each other in terms of how they vote.


Lasting popularity

Vote-by-mail in Oregon has maintained a high level of support since it was passed in 1998. A survey done in 2003 by Dr. Priscilla Southwell, a professor of Political Science at
University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
, shows that 81% of respondents favored the vote-by-mail system while 19% favored traditional voting at poll booths. The poll also shows high favorability among both registered Democrats (85%) and Republicans (76%). Thirty percent of respondents said they voted more often since vote-by-mail was enacted.


See also

*
Elections in Oregon Elections in Oregon are all held using a Vote by Mail (VBM) system. This means that all registered voters receive their ballots via postal delivery and can vote from their homes. A state Voters’ Pamphlet is mailed to every household in Oregon ...
*
List of Oregon ballot measures The list of Oregon ballot measures lists all statewide ballot measures to the present. In Oregon, the initiative and referendum process dates back to 1902, when the efforts of the Direct Legislation League prompted amending the Oregon Constit ...


References

{{Oregon legislation 1998 in the United States 1998 referendums Initiatives in the United States 1998 Oregon ballot measures 1998 Oregon elections