That same picture of corn we always run. Corny!
  • wikimedia
  • That same picture of corn we always run. Corny!
The "no" side in the fight over Measure 92—which would have required GMO labeling on most foodstuffs in Oregon—has held an enduring if tiny lead ever since Election Night. That lead, some 16,000 votes, was sizable enough, even with a bunch of ballots left to be counted, that outfits like the Oregonian felt comfortable calling the race as a certain loss.

Most of us moved on. But not the backers of 92, who kept insisting their narrowing margin of defeat would turn into a pell-mell rush of yes votes that might, fingers crossed, tilt the results their way in an improbable comeback.

That's kind of happened. Late returns have decisively favored the proponents of labeling. But outright victory's still looking tough. But the margin's shrunk to a little more than 4,000 votes. And with several thousand challenged ballots still left to be counted, KPTV's pollster, DHM Research's Tim Hibbitts, has told the station he thinks a painstaking recount is practically guaranteed.

“The only thing I'm certain about right now is there will be a recount,” said Hibbitts. “The margin of error is 3,000. I'm completely comfortable it's going to be way inside of that; we are going to go to a recount.”

This latest development does not include more than 13,000 ballots still being counted in Multnomah, Lane and Deschutes counties.

The campaign over Measure 92 was is the most expensive in Oregon history.