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County pleads for many early returns With 80 percent voter turnout expected, lots of late ballots would make a tough spot worse By Dani Dodge With near-record voter participation expected in this first-ever presidential mail-in election, Oregon election officials are asking voters to turn in their ballots as soon as possible. "Don�t mail after Friday," said Jackson County Clerk Kathy Beckett. "If people haven�t gotten their ballots in by Friday, they will have to rely on dropping it off at drop site locations." County elections officials hope people don�t wait until the last minute to return their ballots. She said voters are reporting being surprised at how long it takes them to fill out the ballot once they start: on average 35 minutes. "It�s very important for people to get their ballot in early � a number of people have already lost their ballots and we�ve had to issue replacements," Beckett said. "That�s difficult and time consuming." Additionally, election night already promises to be a nightmare for the elections office, and a bunch of last-minute ballots will only make the process more difficult. The county starts validating signatures and sorting the ballots into precincts today. Election officials can�t actually start counting votes until Tuesday. But if the bulk of the ballots come in on election day, the backlog of checking signatures will bog down the system, and election results will be slow in coming, Beckett said. As of Wednesday, only 26 percent of the Jackson County electorate had turned in ballots. But Beckett is expecting a 80 to 85 percent turnout in Jackson County, which could put it among the biggest turnouts in the county�s history. The biggest turnout on record is 1992�s 84.9 percent general election turnout rate, Beckett said. She said there are a number of factors for the expected high turnout: For one, the presidential race is drawing a lot of interest. "Also, there�s something on the ballot for everyone in this election," she said. "And it�s historic. It�s the first presidential vote by mail in the county and everyone will want to participate." Ballots must be to the county elections office before 8 p.m. Tuesday. Postmarks do not count. There are two 24-hour drop sites available to voters now at the Old County Courthouse, 10 S. Oakdale Ave., Medford. One is at the payment center drop box in the back of the building; the other is on Eighth Street at the curb. On Monday and Tuesday, a number of other drop sites will open at libraries in Ashland, Central Point, Eagle Point, Jacksonville, Phoenix, Rogue River, Shady Cove and Talent. The hours for those library drop sites will vary. For exact times and locations, check pages 15-35 of the second volume of the Voters� Pamphlet, or get on the Internet and go to www.oregonvotes.com. Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.