Early Ballot Returns Show Oregon Democrats Far More Eager to Vote than Republicans

Sample size is small but contrary to long-term historical trend.

After three days of ballot returns, the most interesting data point for the Nov. 8 general election is that Democrats are returning their ballots at a far faster clip than Republicans.

So far, 6.6 percent of registered voters have returned their ballots. That's in line with recent general elections.

But figures complied by the secretary of state's elections division show that 8.9 percent of Democrats have returned their ballots, versus only 6.6 percent of Republicans. (There are about 875,000 registered voters who are neither Republicans nor Democrats.)

That's a big difference, and contrary to what's happened historically in Oregon.

Only once in the past 50 years—in 2008, when then U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) first ran for president—have Oregon Democrats turned out at a higher percentage than Oregon Republicans.

Nationally, some observers have speculated that Republican voters who don't like presidential candidate Donald Trump might skip the election altogether, as might those Trump supporters who believe his unsupported claim that elections are rigged.

Ballots are due at county elections offices by 8 pm on Nov. 8—and for those mailing their ballots in, the secretary of state clarified yesterday that one stamp is enough to get the ballot to elections.

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