Election 2008

Let’s start with the fact that when Starbucks offered to give away free coffee to anyone who said they voted today, they were in violation of federal election law. Apparently you cannot give away any sort of freebies to entice people to register to vote or to actually vote. To fix the problem, Starbucks decided […]

For those of you worried that long waits at the ballot box will keep people from voting, Portland, at least, seems free and clear. I stopped by the Multnomah County Elections office at 10am and wasn’t surprised to see a line 20 people long wrapping around the inside of the building. But people who stopped […]

Portland’s favorite I-don’t-care-what-it-is-I’ll-protest-it-er, Teresa Teater, was in buoyant mood when I encountered her on SW Morrison earlier. Teater plans to sell buttons, bumper stickers, and Obama bags for $5 each to benefit the Oregon City Obama campaign. She proudly pulled out this life-size cutout of Obama that she’d got at Lippmans, and told me all […]

If, like me, you’re not going to be drinking tonight to celebrate the coronation of Barack Obama, the chances are, you might want an alternative means of marking the occasion. I went up to Rich’s Cigars on SW Alder to ask the cigar guy, Karsten X (he didn’t want to give his last name, but […]

From Kyle: I filled out my ballot a month ago. As an Anarchist-cum-Libertarian, I don’t really care much for voting–but they make it so easy here in Oregon, I figure what the hell. I voted for Bob Barr, the only person I’ve heard talk any sense about the economy. Unfortunately, he has no chance of […]

I didn’t find a single McCain voter down at the Multnomah County elections office this morning. But there were a surprising number of Gordon Smith voters among those who voted for “that one,” and of course, the usual hilarity as to how people made their voting decisions. Here goes: Jack Anthony, 65, worked at Freightliner […]

From M: I voted for the time in 2004. While my man lost (Kerry), I still have hope and frankly this voting thing is kind of addicting. Before this years primary I persuaded my step-dad to register who had previously never voted. He can hold his head high today, amongst his construction worker brethren, knowing […]

If you plan to party hop tonight, here’s all the info you need, and I’ll update this list if I hear of other parties. Our party starts at 6 (but the doors are opening at 5, if you want to get in an stare at a television as some of the first East Coast polls […]

Sunrise was just peaking over the top of the industrial district warehouses this morning as Garrett Downen cracked open his first Red Bull. He and 25 other campaigners were standing in the Bus Project parking lot on SE 2nd Ave, dressed in costumes and inking in the last “VOTE” signs with Sharpies. Then someone turned […]

From Maranda: My election experience this year has been, as I’m sure it was for many, profoundly shaped by my experience in 2004. Picture it: I was a feisty, empowered undergrad at U of O, fully invested in the political process for the first time as an intern with the New Voters Project. During the […]