Oregon Ballot Measure 60 (1998)

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Oregon Ballot Measure 60, an initiative petition which made Oregon the first state in the United States to exclusively vote-by-mail. The measure passed overwhelmingly on November 3, 1998, by a margin of 69.4% to 30.6%.[1] The measure eliminated the restrictions of voting by mail and established it as the single form of voting for elections in the Oregon. It also required vote by mail to be used for biennial primaries and general elections as well as eliminating polling places.

Organizations which supported the initiative included, the Oregon League of Women Voters, Oregon League of Conservation Voters, AARP of Oregon, and Oregon Education Association. Individuals which supported the measure included then-Governor John Kitzhaber, Secretary of State Phil Keisling, and former US Senator Mark Hatfield. Supporters of the measure asserted that it would increase voter participation, make elections more convenient for voters. The State of Oregon would also save an estimated $3 million dollars a year, in years which a primary and general election occur. [2]

Notable opposition to the measure included State Representative Lynn Snodgrass and anti-tax activist Bill Sizemore. Opponents claimed the system would be ripe for election fraud as well as the possibility of people pressuring each other in terms of how they vote. [3] Sizemore, stated in an online column in April 2003, that the vote by mail system is "is a formula for election fraud." [4] He also stated that, "Vote by mail is a system designed for honest people. It is predicated on the notion that people are basically good and won’t cheat."

Vote by mail in Oregon has maintained a high level of support since it was passed in 1998. A survey done in 2003 by Dr. Priscilla Southwell, a professor of Political Science at University of Oregon, shows that 81% of respondents favored the vote by mail system. That is compared with 19% who favored voting at the polls. [5] The poll also shows high favorability among both registered Democrats (85%) and Republicans (76%). In terms of frequency of voting and whether vote by mail increased turn out, 30% of respondents say they voted more often since vote by mail was enacted.