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Click Here 41 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, February 3, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend January 24, 2004 Voters get busy on Measure 30 County elections officials report steady stream of mail-in ballots By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Jackson County voters appear to be deciding early about Measure 30, the Feb. 3 tax increase referendum. As of Friday morning, nearly a quarter of county voters had submitted mail-in ballots for the hotly contested measure, County Clerk Kathy Beckett said. "They are really, really coming in," she said. "I’ve heard many people say this was a no-brainer for them, they’d already made up their minds." A week after mail-in ballots were distributed, 26,351 ballots had been received by the county Elections Office, Beckett said. That’s 24 percent of the 109,413 registered voters in Jackson County. Last year, 21.5 percent of the county’s registered voters had returned ballots by the same time for Measure 28, an unsuccessful tax increase proposal, according to state elections records. Advertisement Overall, in Oregon, 368,264 ballots for Measure 30 had been received by Friday morning, about 20 percent of the state’s 1.8 million voters. Measure 30 is the only item under consideration for the special election. The measure is a referendum on the state Legislature’s plan to raise $800 million in new taxes to balance the state’s two-year, $11.5 billion budget. Beckett cautioned that some of the submitted ballots arrived missing required voter signatures. "We had a lot of people in a hurry not sign the backs of their envelopes," Beckett said. Elections staff members contact voters by phone or mail to advise them of the missing signatures. Without the voter’s signature, a submitted ballot is invalid. Ballots may be submitted by mail or by dropping them off at designated sites. There is a 24-hour, drive-by drop box in front of the elections office at 1101 W. Main St., Medford. They are due by 8 p.m. Feb. 3. Starting next week, additional drop-off points will open at several county libraries. They are open during regular business hours. Drop sites opening Monday include the following: Ashland Library, 401 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland. Central Point Library, 226 E. Pine St., Central Point. Gold Hill Library, 420 Sixth St., Gold Hill. Jacksonville Library, 340 W. C St., Jacksonville. Phoenix Library, 110 W. Second St., Phoenix. Rogue River Library, 412 E. Main St., Rogue River. Talent Library, 105 I St., Talent. Drop sites opening Tuesday include the following: Eagle Point Library, 158 W. Main St., Eagle Point. Shady Cove Library, 22477 Highway 62, Shady Cove. For more information about the election, call 774-6148. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times