POLITICS : Postal Democracy

Sen. Bob Packwood’s resignation last fall in the face of sexual harassment charges not only set the stage for a special election today to replace him, it provided Oregon officials with a chance to experiment with mail-in voting. Here is how the all-mail process has worked.

Dec. 5--In a mail-in special primary, Republican Gordon Smith and Democrat Ron Wyden win their respective party nominations. Among eligible primary voters, 58% return their ballots--the highest primary mark in Oregon since 1968.

Jan. 10-12--Ballots for the special election are mailed to all registered voters. Voters are told to put their marked ballot--for the most part, computer cards--in an inner “secrecy” envelope, which is placed in an outer envelope, each of which has an individual bar code. The outer envelopes must be signed and the ballot mailed or dropped off at designated sites. Signing another person’s name is a felony.

Mid-January--As ballots filter in, county election workers check each signature against registration signatures. Some county offices, upon request, release lists of those who have returned a ballot. The two campaigns use the lists to start identifying those who haven’t voted and target their final appeals accordingly.

Jan. 25--Election workers begin separating secrecy envelopes from the outer envelopes.

Today--All mailed ballots must have been received; as of today, state officials estimated that 59% of those registered had voted. Last-minute voters can return ballots before 8 p.m. at 162 drop sites across Oregon. Elections workers begin tabulating results this morning, but no numbers will be released until after 8 p.m.