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Forgive my ignorance, but how do you vote in Oregon?


You don't get the option to vote in person. We don't even have voter booths.

Instead, the state mails you a voter guide and a ballot that you fill out in the convenience of your own home. This allows you to review the candidates and new proposed bills line by line.

Once filled out you simply drop it off at one of the hundreds of drop-off locations and you're done (or mail it in if you have time). This can all be done weeks ahead of November 8th.


And what if an intimidating person in your household has strong opinions about how you should mark that ballot?


If you can't find a single personal space to fill out a ballot then you have bigger problems.


There is always going to be some potential for that. "Take a picture of how you voted or I'll beat you" would work fine even with polling places, although it'd be a little trickier.

The system saves a ton of money and time, and we have record numbers of voters in Oregon this year.


Taking photos of your ballot is actually illegal in my state. (MS) Presumably for this very reason.


Sure, but if the ballot booth provides real privacy... it's not hard to do. It's also a common method of proving you voted a certain way in order to sell your vote.

Or hey, you can just peer over their shoulder:

https://twitter.com/Gabbienain/status/796031055715246080


This morning when I voted I was surprised that it was hardly a "booth". It had sides to the screen to attempt to block it from view, but it you turn your head you could see the screen next to you - and their screen.


You send them to bed early without dinner


This allows you to review the candidates and new proposed bills line by line.

As I said in another comment, there's nothing stopping you from reviewing candidates and bills line-by-line in the convenience of your own home even if you go to a voting booth. Even if you were a completely honest student in school, surely you've heard of "cheat sheets"? Unlike school, they are allowed in the voting booth (at least in IN, NC, and WA when they had voting booths).


Oregon and Washington are both vote by mail states, so no polling places on the day.




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