Oregon's statewide vote-by-mail elections are often held up as an example of electoral innovation that motivates more voters to do their thing. But not everyone loves the arrangement–each election brings some minor grumbling that the need for a voter to pop for a stamp is really a sneaky poll tax. (Hey, good disguise.)
The fact that the ballots can be dropped at libraries and election headquarters is neatly overlooked in this wacky rant. This poll-tax goofiness and other aspects of a mail-in ballot system are outlined on Progressive States Network and well dealt with on Witigonen, an Oregon-flavored blog powered by nerdish types with interest in politics and other comedy. Some bits of offbeat election commentary are better than others. A Portland apartment building, next door to a busy post office, sports a hand-painted sign blaring VOTING IS SEXY--a triumph of homegrown, not-so-subliminal marketing. The residence next door has a sign too, one that has been hanging long enough for the neatly written cursive to fade from black to grey: PLEASE STOP IN IF YOU'D LIKE TO PRAY TOGETHER That sign's creator might not have meant to link her entreaty specifically to elections, but, hey, it couldn't hurt.Lick a stamp, be sexy, pray
Oregon's statewide vote-by-mail elections are often held up as an example of electoral innovation that motivates more voters to do their thing. But not everyone loves the arrangement–each election brings some minor grumbling that the need for a voter to pop for a stamp is really a sneaky poll tax. (Hey, good disguise.)
Oregon's statewide vote-by-mail elections are often held up as an example of electoral innovation that motivates more voters to do their thing. But not everyone loves the arrangement–each election brings some minor grumbling that the need for a voter to pop for a stamp is really a sneaky poll tax. (Hey, good disguise.)
