The jig is up

By: Staff Editorial

Posted: 5/20/08

It's here. No hiding. No crying as you pour over your million-and-a-half-page voters' guide (okay, the state voters' guide is only 64 pages, and you don't have to read it all).

The time has come for Oregonians to cast their ballots and put their names next to their candidates of choice.

The good news is - finally - the local campaign fliers, signs and commercials will soon be a distant dream.

For many on OSU's campus - and across the state - the ballots have already been mailed and the voting process has been officially scratched off the "to do" list.

But for some, the candidate-picking, decision-making skills are a little behind the times. Or they have never been exercised.

It's tough. That daunting 64-page voters' guide is longer than most college reading assignments.

The good news is, whether you are a Democrat or Republican, you are only voting for seven different partisan positions. There are five unopposed non-partisan candidates as well.

The first 11 pages of the state voters' guide are nothing but preface.

Take it a page at a time. Use the Voters' Pamphlet as a cheat sheet. It has the candidate run-down and personal information printed out for all to see. If you flip to page 32, you'll find Rockne Roll. Roll is currently a student at OSU, studying political science.

For Benton County, voters will vote on only five different topics - two annexation measures, two county commissioners (one unopposed) and on city councilor.

Today is Oregon's primary election. If the 75,000-person turnout to Obama's Portland rally is any indication, this election will be closely watched and widely participated in.

Get out your pencil, find a quiet spot to read your Voters' Pamphlet and get to voting.

Even though it is too late to mail your ballot, it is not too late to drop it off at the Valley Library or any number of other locations (see page 2 for an elections breakdown) in Corvallis and Benton County.

As we commented on before, Oregon usually doesn't matter much in the presidential primary. This year, Oregon may be the deciding factor.

Organizations like Rock the Vote have stressed over and over again that voting is critical and endlessly important for our future.

Today, on the day of Oregon's primary election, we ask that you put your fears aside and cast your vote.

Take your best guess, take your time and remember: you're not being graded on your answers.

Voting with very little research is better than not voting at all.

Editorials serve as a means for Barometer editors to offer commentary and opinions on issues both global and local, grand in scale or diminutive. The views expressed here are a reflection of the editorial board's majority.