tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6719252574677567989.post8258526408599740173..comments2024-03-26T05:22:08.256-04:00Comments on Frontloading HQ: Oregon in 2012Josh Putnamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06301836432446874997noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6719252574677567989.post-24130096208630925152009-03-25T21:17:00.000-04:002009-03-25T21:17:00.000-04:00Ooh, a very good question, Greg. Let's explore, sh...Ooh, a very good question, Greg. <BR/><BR/>Let's explore, shall we. According to the Oregon Secretary of State's Elections Division <A HREF="http://www.sos.state.or.us/elections/vbm/faq.html" REL="nofollow">FAQ on Vote by Mail</A> in the Beaver state, all ballots are mailed out anywhere from 14 to 18 days before the election.<BR/><BR/><I>"When are the ballots mailed to the voters?<BR/><BR/>In Oregon, ballots will be mailed any time between the 14th and 18th days before an election."</I><BR/><BR/>That window would fall between January 20 and 24. Now let's look over to the left sidebar and see where that is on the primary calendar. Yep, right smack in the middle of the hypothetically latest possible dates on which Iowa and New Hampshire would go. Before South Carolina. Before Nevada. And before Florida.<BR/><BR/>This would indeed be a very clever way of getting candidate attention. Of course other states on Super Tuesday (if it ends up being on February 7, 2012) would also presumably have some sort of early voting regime in place. That would provide the candidates with another similar group of voters to chase after. <BR/><BR/>That's the only obstacle I see from Oregon's perspective. And what that really does -- early and mail-in voting, that is -- is put pressure on Iowa and New Hampshire to go even earlier. More convenient voting in other states makes that week long cushion New Hampshire has traditionally insisted on seem even more meaningless. <BR/><BR/>Good question.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6719252574677567989.post-57837178722804421522009-03-25T20:32:00.000-04:002009-03-25T20:32:00.000-04:00Wow. That would be interesting. Here's one quest...Wow. That would be interesting. Here's one question: because Oregon uses mail-in ballots, which could certainly be returned before the first Tuesday in February, do they effectively secure themselves importance almost as great as Iowa and New Hampshire, assuming candidates will have to campaign there a lot before the Super Tuesday by which ballots would be due?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com