Clinton10

Bill Clinton calls mail election a challenge
Ballots - Oregon's 19 days of voting make it harder to campaign, the former president says
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
DAVE HOGAN
The Oregonian Staff

TILLAMOOK -- In his second of three straight days of crisscrossing Oregon campaigning for his wife, former President Clinton said the state's innovative vote-by-mail system is challenging for candidates who are trying to run campaigns in several states at once.

Clinton is working to drum up more votes for New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, who is competing with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. The two campaigns are competing in the Kentucky, Oregon and West Virginia primaries.

Speaking to about 700 people outside the Tillamook Cheese Factory on Monday, Clinton made it sound like the joke was on the candidates when it comes to mail balloting.

"It's hilarious," he said, explaining that the state figured out a way to hold elections and make it difficult for campaigns to know who has voted.

The close race between Sens. Clinton and Obama has led to unprecedented campaign visits this spring in Oregon, which usually doesn't get much attention because the May primary normally is too late to make any difference. Clinton and Obama were here last weekend and are scheduled to return at the end of this week for more campaigning.

State elections officials reported about 13 percent of Oregon's 2 million voters cast ballots by the end of Sunday. Oregon is the only state in the nation that gives voters 19 days to vote.

After five campaign appearances from Baker City to Portland on Sunday, Clinton made another five appearances Monday in Astoria, Newport, Corvallis, Eugene and Tillamook.

Today, he is scheduled to speak in Roseburg, Grants Pass and Klamath Falls.

Oregonians welcome the attention, saying it gives them historic opportunities to see the candidates as well as the former president.

"It's very rare that someone like this comes to Tillamook," said Steven Wagner of Tillamook. Wagner, 59, noted that, as a kid, he also had seen John F. Kennedy campaign in Tillamook in 1960, before he was elected president.

After speaking for close to an hour in Tillamook, Clinton appeared before about 800 people in Newport.

Lori Tobias contributed to this report.