Your Vote Is Your Voice

Produced by the League of Women Voters® of Oregon Education Fund

Those who don’t vote allow others to make

important decisions for them; low voter turnout

may lead to a different election outcome than if

voter turnout is high, and one vote can make a

difference.

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Background

• In Oregon:– 1.5 million voters who could vote don’t.– In 2008, 787,000 Oregonians who were eligible to

vote weren’t registered.– 837,000 registered voters did not vote in the 2008

primary election.– Nationally Oregon has one of the highest

participation rates with 86% voting in compared to a national average of 58% in 2004 presidential election.

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Voter participation

• More voters vote in general elections than primary elections.

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Voter participation• Those registered with a political party tend to

participate at higher rates than those registered with minor parties or non-affiliated voters (NAV) in both general and primary elections.

% voting

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Voter participation• Young people are under represented at

elections

% voting by age 2004 general election

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How does the country vote?

• Voting patterns seem to differ between cities and rural areas, industrial and farming regions, general locations

(red = Republican, blue = Democrat)

2008 voter pattern by county 2008 voter pattern by population

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Oregon’s 50% turnout requirement for tax measures

• In 1997 – Oregon voters approved a ballot measure requiring 50% voter participation to pass most revenue measures (referred to as the “double majority”).

• In 1998 – Oregon voters effectively repealed this requirement for Primary and General elections, but it still remains in effect for elections held at other times.

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For more information, contact the League of Women Voters® of Oregon Education Fundwww.VoteOregon.org/mockelection

lwvor@lwvor.org; 503-581-5722