04/26/2024
Vote (on local nonpartisan issues) like politics doesn't matter.
The May 21 primary election is around the corner.
Tuesday is the deadline to register to vote.
But the truth is, in Oregon, a minority of voters will determine the outcome of most races in this election cycle. That's because the state's two major political parties have closed primaries, meaning only voters registered as members of the parties can vote for Democrats or Republicans in the primary.
Oregon has 3,032,333 registered voters, of which 994,493 are Democrats and 722,216 are Republicans. The largest segment – 1,110,725 voters unaffiliated with a political party – cannot vote in the Republican or Democratic primary. Neither can the more than 200,000 Oregonians who are registered with other parties.
(This makes NO sense!!!)
1) Register to vote if you have not already and 2) pay attention to your local news outlets for the latest on what your community is asking you to voice an opinion about. These issues matter, even if they are not associated with party politics. (That might even make them matter more.)
— Julie Johnson, city editor of the The Bulletin, compiles content for Oregon Capital Insider weekly.
