5 Vie in Primary for Sen. Packwood’s Seat : Election: Oregon’s first mail-in ballots list two in Democratic race and three in GOP contest. Turnout is expected to top 55%, up from 43% in last primary.

Two Democrats and three Republicans were vying Tuesday for the chance to replace disgraced former Sen. Bob Packwood of Oregon in a special primary that also will serve as a report card on the nation’s first all-mail election for a statewide office.

On the Democratic side, Rep. Ron Wyden, the leader in fund-raising, was attempting to fend off a tough challenge from Rep. Peter A. DeFazio. In the GOP contest, state Senate President Gordon Smith was favored to win against state school Supt. Norma Palus and state Labor Commissioner Jack Roberts. No results were available in time for this edition.

Much of the attention surrounding the contest was on the mail-in process and whether it would work as advertised--increasing voter participation without increasing the risk of voter fraud or diminishing a basic democratic ritual.

By noon Tuesday, state election officials estimated over 53% of registered Democrats and Republicans had returned their ballots, and they expected the final turnout to exceed 55%. That represents a substantial rise from the 43% turnout in Oregon’s last primary in May 1994.

Secretary of State Phil Keisling cautioned that the novelty of the balloting process would account for some of the increase in participation. Still, he enthusiastically endorsed the method as one that is “enfranchising and empowering” more people in the state.

The Jan. 30 general election for Packwood’s seat, which the veteran Republican gave up two months ago because of sexual harassment allegations against him, also will be conducted by mail. Keisling and several other state officials hope the process then will become a permanent feature of Oregon elections.

For the primary, voters in the two major parties got their ballots in the mail three weeks ago. They could mark them and mail them back to county election offices or return them in person to drop-off sites before 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Some Oregonians objected to the experiment in postal democracy, saying it could lead to fraud. “I think it gives us a hell of an opportunity to be like Chicago--you know, funny votes,” grumbled 80-year-old Frank Kore, an independent who won’t get a ballot until the general election next month.

But officials say all ballots are verified and that as of Tuesday afternoon, there had been no reports of anything suspicious.

Others said the mail process made voting easier. “There’s definitely a convenience factor,” said Roger Noah, a Beaverton Republican. He noted that voting by mail need not alter tradition. “My wife and I marked them separately and sent them in separately. Then we asked each other who we voted for.”

In the races themselves, observers were looking for signs that Oregonians would abandon a reputation for favoring political moderation. That had been the hallmark of Packwood and Oregon’s other longtime GOP senator, Mark O. Hatfield, who last week announced he would not seek reelection in November 1996.

Bill Lunch, a political science professor at Oregon State University, said that while the two Democratic contenders for Packwood’s seat are similar in their overall voting records, stylistic differences are marked. Wyden presented himself as a compromiser who can get things done in the new reality of a Republican Senate, while DeFazio touted himself as “a populist, a fighter, someone who doesn’t play ball with party leadership very well,” said Lunch.

In the GOP race, Smith is a social and fiscal conservative who was matched against two Republicans more in line with the state party’s middle-of-the-road tradition.