Oregon Primary - Both Presidential & State election

[Equinox Moon]

Population 4 million
Pacific ocean and mountains

Democrat majority rules this State. Governor, State house and senate, federal congressional senator and congresspersons.

Has legal marijuana for recreational use.

I would say this is a liberal state.

IMO.

Any one know other things about this state?

[Renew Deal]

1. I had great sushi in Portland once.

And the Christmas tree was up in some square by Thanksgiving

[Equinox Moon]

2. Awesome!

[NWCorona]

16. Why are you making me crave sushi this early in the morning

[Warren DeMontague]

35. Portland has some of the best food in the country.

[bettyellen]

55. And Duer Swag is there, eating most of it. Where is Swag?

[Silver_Witch]

3. No taxes on books!

Freedom is a wonderful thing!

[WheelWalker]

11. No sales tax

[Renew Deal]

19. Funny

I didn't know that

[Skink]

4. It's the Pacific Northwest

[brooklynite]

5. Population: 4.028 M (about the size of Brooklyn)

87.9% white
2% black
1.8% native American

9.8% foreign-born

30.1% hold college degrees

Medina household income $50,521

[Warren DeMontague]

45. I'm gonna guess you guys have figured out that Hillary isn't going to win here, tonight.

So I suspect we'll be hearing a lot about how inconsequential, podunk, and white we are.

[WheelWalker]

6. Public owns the beaches.

[Equinox Moon]

9. Very cool! Hawaii is like that too

[MineralMan]

7. It has the highest voter turnout, overall, of any state.

While Minnesota beats OR sometimes in turnout in specific elections, Oregon consistently has higher turnout in all elections than any other state.

It's mail-in balloting is the reason, along with its universal registration when you get a driver's license.

Oregon is a model for how states should handle elections.

As for the outcome today, I can't predict it. We'll see late tonight or tomorrow morning.

[NWCorona]

18. I didn't know the rates were that high

[MineralMan]

22. Yup. Oregon is the model for the future of voting

in the United States, I think. More and more states are likely to adopt a similar system. Already, early voting is becoming the norm, even in states like California, which resisted that change for a long time.

Minnesota, too, has instituted early absentee voting without a reason for voting absentee. Automatic registration is the next step. Eventually, we'll have an improved voting system.

In many states, including Minnesota, my own state, the caucus system for presidential primary races, is going to go away for the 2020 election. Our legislature, incapable of passing much of anything of importance, will pass a presidential primary bill this year, and it will be signed by the Governor.

2016 is going to lead to many changes in how we do presidential primaries. Expect to see a different, improved system from the Democratic Party, too, for 2020.

But, this is 2016, and we're dealing with the current system. The outcome seems abundantly clear at this point.

[Warren DeMontague]

46. I'm guessing we'll know fairly early. Polls close at 8 PDT. (Although that may not be "Early" for

people on East Coast time)

I will eat my proverbial hat if Sanders doesn't win here. Usually the results come in pretty quickly.

And yes, our vote by mail system is great.

[LWolf]

8. The Democratic majority

lives west of the Cascades, in the more populated areas. East of the Cascades is red, but much more rural, so doesn't have the population to compete with the Democratic majority state-wide.

[Equinox Moon]

10. Right. And isn't this where the Bundy occupation happened?

[Lizzie Poppet]

15. It is.

Although it should be pointed out that the occupiers were from out of state. Most of the locals out there wanted them gone, despite being generally more conservative than out here in the northwestern part of the state.

Portlander here. Oregon does have a pretty sharp red/blue divide between the Willamette Valley (Portland, Eugene, Salem, etc.) plus a few smaller "liberal enclaves" like Ashland, and the rest of the state. The latter is mostly rural, and the reality of the population distribution means we're pretty liberal in the overall balance.

[Warren DeMontague]

40. Exactly. The locals weren't real thrilled with the Bundy crowd, IIRC

[LWolf]

23. Yes.

Of course, "east of the Cascades" is most of the state, and covers a very large area.

[bkkyosemite]

20. Yes!...Walden has been renominated every time...cuz of those red state ranches on

the East side.

[LWolf]

32. Yep.

It's hard to find whatever Democrat ends up running against him in the GE each time. At this point, as far as I know, Jim Crary is unopposed.

[WheelWalker]

12. Early adoptor: Bottle Bill and Land Use Zoning

[Equinox Moon]

13. Interesting. I don't know about either of these

and will need to look them up to learn.

[nruthie]

14. The most beautiful state in the country! We have EVERYTHING.

But, we do have our share of illiterate Republicans. Rural areas tend to be very conservative and urban areas are predominantly Democratic. We are home to one of the best Congressmen in the country: Peter DeFazio. We can always trust him to do the right thing.

[Equinox Moon]

17. Plus, Sen. Jeff Merkley

I heard him being interviewed on PBS yesterday and he was a big supporter of Bernie.

[Arugula Latte]

25. He's the best!

So proud of that guy.

He's pretty much the only major politician I've ever voted for who hasn't been a disappointment.

[Equinox Moon]

26. Sounds great, maybe I'll move to Oregon

[Arugula Latte]

28. Come on out!

[Equinox Moon]

31. Your penguin avatar is hilarious!

the one pushes the other into the water with a flipper!

[Arugula Latte]

41. Glad you like!

The poor victim penguin ... so innocent ... so unsuspecting ... and then WHAP!

[bkkyosemite]

21. Rural conservative, conspiracy theories abound, DeFazio is great. Ashland S. OR is very liberal

Portland N. OR at the other end liberal...in between (I'm in Medford and liberal is growing here) lots of little towns that are red.

[Arugula Latte]

24. We were the first state to pass a physician-assisted dying measure.

It's for terminal patients with six months or less to live.

All states should have that! (Related editorial comment: A pox on the effing Catholic Church...)

[Equinox Moon]

29. Exellent option!

It was introduced to my state legislature and table really fast. We will keep plugging away at it and get it eventually. We thankfully are a blue state.

[Arugula Latte]

27. Another fun fact: We haven't elected a Republican governor since the mid-80s.

Vic Atiyeh served two terms, from 1979 to 1987. And it turns out that he was the last of his breed.

[Ferd Berfel]

30. I lived in Eugene for about 14 years

In the 70's and 80's
Yes there were a lot of lefties, progressives thinkers, Rainbow people, WOW halls all over the state (Workers Of the World) But Even back then there were rightwingers. Loggers for example.

[Equinox Moon]

33. Unfortunately, those damn right-wingers are everywhere

[Ferd Berfel]

44. I stil have friends there

only 1 of them fell to the dark side (and he went in a big way) I expected to see him at the Bundy occupation

The rest are still happy progressives today. Many are more progressive than I am! Can't stand 'em (kidding)

[Equinox Moon]

47. OMG... so funny and tragic

[jwirr]

34. As the mother of a severely disabled child I know that Oregon

is one of 3 states that led the movement to bring our children out of the institutions and back into the communities. Thank you.

[Equinox Moon]

37. Beautiful!

[Warren DeMontague]

36. Best weed in the country, too.

Or so I have heard from those who know about such matters.

http://www.theweedblog.com/what-state-has-the-best-marijuana/

[Warren DeMontague]

38. Kate Brown is the first openly bisexual governor in US History.

[Equinox Moon]

39. Some of us are falling in love with Oregon

I am hearing some really great things about this beautiful state.

[Warren DeMontague]

42. It is easy to do.

[Equinox Moon]

53. Puts me into silence and pause

[FSogol]

43. Awesome microbrews and brew pubs. n/t

[PufPuf23]

48. Lived and worked in Oregon for 11 years.

Portland and Corvallis.

Northwest OR is more liberal and Democratic than Southwest and eastern OR.

No state wide sales tax but high property tax.

No self serve gasoline.

Freddie Meyers.

Powell's Books

Pendleton Woolen Mills

Downtown Portland, Pioneer Square, and the Rhododendron Festival

Ashland Shakespearian Festival (went there on high school senior trip even though lived in CA)

West OR is green and lush and east OR is open and dry with scattered green mountains and plateaus and river canyons.

Westside Douglas-fir, eastside ponderosa pine (many trees)

Lots of National Forest and Wilderness and (cold water) ocean beaches and rivers and snow skiing.

Mt. Hood and Columbia Gorge.

Crater Lake

Oregon Caves

Jacksonville

Good food, craft bear, orchards, local wine.

Oregon Ducks (Eugene) and Oregon State Beavers (Corvallis)

Portland Blazers

[Equinox Moon]

49. Thank you for that!

Go Oregon!

[PufPuf23]

50. Your welcome. I really like Oregon (and live close by in far northwest CA). eom

[cliffordu]

51. We bicyclists own this place.

Awesome.

[cliffordu]

52. Awesome nude beach just outside Portland.

Two, actually. One is tamer than the other.

[bettyellen]

57. I feel like there is no such thing as a nude beach without some asshole video taping women though...

gets really tiresome.

[cliffordu]

58. Doesn't happen at Sauvies- not out in the open

Anyway....the women there will run someone off at stickpoint for trying it.....

Rooster Rock is more dangerous....

[bettyellen]

60. Good to know! The places I have been, was not worth it.

[HassleCat]

54. Nude beaches.

There is no state law against nudity, so many beaches are clothing optional. There is no sales tax. They have land use planning, making urban sprawl much more difficult than most places. They vote by mail in all elections. The governor is openly bisexual. One of the Portland mayoral candidates is running TV ads showing he and his male partner walking their dogs. They were the first state to institute a bottle and can deposit law. Yeah, they're a bit on the liberal side.

[Equinox Moon]

56. May this spread throughout the Nation

[cliffordu]

59. I live here.

Just to depress property values and ridicule conservatives.