Catching Up With Lunchtime Ballot-Droppers

Portland Mercury:

Next to the ballot slot: "This is not a mailbox" Today, I used my lunch break to check up on last-minute Portlanders pitching in their votes at the Pioneer Square and Central Library drop-off sites. While a lot of people thought I was some crazy petitioner and ran, others took a second to explain their tardiness. The two leading answers: Procrastination and indecision. "I'm just lazy," said one jovial voter. Another: "I wasn't sure about the mayoral race, so I waited. It was just as hard today as it was when the ballots were sent out." One guy said he had to call his mom, an out-of-state lawyer, to figure out who to vote for in the Attorney General race. I ran into an elections staff member exchanging the ballot boxes at the library, who confirmed my belief that a ton of folks held out until today to vote. "The boxes are packed, they never filled up this fast before," she said. "It's such a huge increase in ballots." On the way back to the office, I ran in to a cheery Jefferson Smith at the Stark St. food carts, making sure everyone had voted (and voted for him). When I asked what to expect at tonight's party? A good time, but—no cartwheels. Are you one of those last-second voters? Get on over to a ballot drop site before 8 pm and make it happen. Stay tuned in to Blogtown for our minute-by-minute reporting on the election and candidate parties tonight! [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

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