County's new ballot still have you stumped? Officials spell it out.Byline: Randi Bjornstad The Register-Guard Some Lane County voters have become confused by the county's new balloting system, and elections manager Annette Newingham wants to get the latest wrinkle Wrinkle A feature of a new product or security intended to entice a buyer. ironed out before thousands of people - or even a few, for that matter - send in faulty ballots. Newingham estimates that 17 percent of the county's 180,000 ballots already have been returned - including as many as 18,000 on Wednesday alone. With that many ballots coming back so quickly, she's even more anxious that people understand from the start the right way to fill them out. She has received a few calls from people who aren't quite sure how to use the new ballot, Newingham said. "I've had people calling to ask, 'What do I send back? Do I rip off the top?' ' she said. "It's hard to predict what people won't understand when there's something new." The new system uses optical scanners See scanner. to tally votes. Voters mark their selection right on the ballot itself - preferably with a black ballpoint pen - by filling in the shaft of the arrow that points to their choice. The mark should be clearly visible as a completed arrow, because the scanner will not read a check mark, circle, "X" or thin line reliably, and those ballots may have to be processed by hand. After marking the new-style ballot, put the whole ballot - don't tear anything off, Newingham says - into the secrecy secrecy see confidentiality. envelope that came along with the voting packet and place that into the mailing envelope. The voter must sign the mailing envelope for the ballot to be valid. Ballots may be mailed or dropped into one of the county's official drop boxes. Under the old punch card A storage medium made of thin cardboard stock that holds data as patterns of punched holes. Each of the 80 or 96 columns holds one character. The holes are punched by a keypunch machine or card punch peripheral and are fed into the computer by a card reader. system, voters referred to a paper ballot sheet listing candidates or measures and then recorded their votes by punching out the corresponding chads. They put the punch card into the secrecy envelope, stuck that into the mailing envelope, signed it and sent it in. Newingham thought the transition would be easy, but she's finding out that some people are confused about the system. At least one secrecy envelope came back with no ballot inside. The voter had filled out the sample arrow on the secrecy envelope, apparently thinking it the proper place to mark the one-issue ballot, Newingham said. "We've contacted the voter - we want to give people every opportunity to vote correctly," she said. Ballots that will decide Measure 30 went into the mail on Friday. A yes vote would impose an income tax surcharge An overcharge or additional cost. A surcharge is an added liability imposed on something that is already due, such as a tax on tax. It also refers to the penalty a court can impose on a fiduciary for breaching a duty. and other taxes to raise $800 million to pay for public services Public services is a term usually used to mean services provided by government to its citizens, either directly (through the public sector) or by financing private provision of services. . A no vote would lead to budget cuts in many state and local government programs. Ballots must be received - by mail or in official drop boxes - by 8 p.m. on Feb. 3. WHERE TO DROP OFF BALLOTS Voters can either mail ballots or drop them off at one of the following locations: Lane County Elections: 135 E. Sixth Ave., Eugene Other Eugene drop boxes: On the east side of Pearl Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues; on the west side of Pearl Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues, behind the old State Office Building; by Amazon Pool at 2600 Hilyard St.; Bethel Bethel, in the Bible Bethel (bĕth`əl) [Heb.,=house of God]. 1 Ancient city of central Palestine, the modern Baytin, the West Bank, N of Jerusalem. Branch Library, 1990 Echo Hollow Road; Juvenile Justice Center, 2727 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.; Sheldon Branch Library, 1566 Coburg Road University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. : Lower level lobby, EMU emu or emeu (both: ē`my  ), common name for a large, flightless bird of Australia, related to the cassowary and the ostrich. , 13th and University
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Springfield: Behind the Springfield Police Department, 344 A St.; Lively Park Swim Center, 6100 Thurston Road Coburg: City recorder's office, 91069 N. Willamette St. Creswell: City recorder's office, 13 S. First St. Veneta: Fern Ridge Public Library, 88026 Territorial Road Junction City Junction City, city (1990 pop. 20,604), seat of Geary co., NE Kans., at the confluence of the Republican and Smoky Hill rivers; inc. 1859. The rail, trade, and processing center of an agricultural and dairy area, it grew as the supply point for nearby Fort Riley, : Public library, 726 Greenwood Greenwood. 1 City (1990 pop. 26,265), Johnson co., central Ind.; settled 1822, inc. as a city 1960. A residential suburb of Indianapolis, Greenwood is in a retail shopping area. Manufactures include motor vehicle parts and metal products. St. Lowell: City Hall, 107 E. Third St. Oakridge: City recorder's office, 48318 E. First St. Vida: Community Market, 45602 McKenzie Highway |
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