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Editorial: Turnout will speak volumes Some in the Legislature say Oregon's vote-by-mail system needs improving. Getting rid of it would take care of the problem. Under a new proposal passed narrowly in the House this week, county clerks would mail ballots to Oregonians on the 11th day prior to the election, about a week later than what the current system requires. Politicians want the change so they won't have to spend so much on campaigning. Ridiculous. In the Senate, when this hapless, politically-motivated bill comes up, a fresh look at Oregon's vote-by-mail system is in order. The old line is that it saves money, which we rebuke because democracy is never about cash on hand. And don't even mention the convenience factor. If you can't make it to the polls on Election Day as a registered voter, don't bother registering in the first place. In Ashland, some of our school supporters are worried about turnout in Tuesday's election. After all, if the Youth Activities Levy passes without a majority turnout, sorry, it doesn't pass. Should they be worried? Are there thousands of untouched ballots stuffed under phone bills and used pizza boxes on kitchen counters all around Ashland? Maybe, but more likely some people are waiting until the last minute - not to decide on which candidate or measure to support, but waiting to drop off their ballot on Election Day because that's what "Election Day" is all about. So why have a mail-in system that acts like a polling station system for some voters? It's ludicrous. Further, vote-by-mail makes Election Day last 14 to 18 days. Under the legislative proposal from Rep. Randy Miller, R-Lake Oswego, that would be "improved" to around 11 days. That's not an improvement. It still means people will probably wait until the last minute to vote; they'll just have less time to procrastinate. Overall it's a flawed system Oregonians put into place in 1998 for all statewide elections, only because we wanted our democracy to be more convenient and save us some money. That's inspirational, isn't it? Here's what to look for: If the Youth Activities Levy passes on Tuesday but fails to gain the required 50 percent turnout, we'll only have ourselves to blame - we are sacrificing participation in critical decisions for our community in the name of accommodation and cash. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -