Now it's the voters' turn.

Byline: The Register-Guard

William Simon, secretary of the Treasury under presidents Nixon and Ford, once said that "Bad politicians are sent to Washington by people who don't vote." Of course, no one voted for Ford, and many who voted for Nixon wished they hadn't. But Simon had it right. On Election Day, the people decide - or by default, allow others to decide for them.

The stakes are high in today's voting. The Democrats could retain, lose or expand their single-vote margin of control in the U.S. Senate. The history of elections in the middle of a presidential term suggests that Democrats can hope to gain seats in the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives, but this year could be an exception - all depending on voters' individual and private decisions.

In Oregon, Democrats could gain control of the state Senate for the first time since the Republican takeover in 1995. That year, Republican Gordon Smith became Senate president, replacing Democrat Bill Bradbury. The transition provided Smith with a platform for his subsequent U.S. Senate races, including his current matchup against Bradbury. Somewhat less likely is a swing to the Democrats in the state House of Representatives, which the Republicans have controlled since Larry Campbell became House speaker in 1991.

In Lane County, there's a peculiar dearth of contested local races - the composition of the Lane County Board of Commissioners and the city councils in both Eugene and Springfield was decided in May, when candidates won by margins sufficient to avoid runoffs. But local voters will shape the composition of the state Legislature, and a few of the contests - Vicki Walker vs. Mike Cary in Senate District 7 and Pat Farr vs. Araminta Hawkins in House District 14 - are among the state's most closely watched.

Aside from the choices among candidates, the ballot is crowded with profoundly consequential initiative measures. Oregon voters will decide today whether to create a universal health care plan, raise the minimum wage, require the labeling of genetically engineered foods and change the way judicial positions are filled.

Lane County voters will decide whether to raise property taxes for a new public health building, a new jail intake center, parks improvements, an emergency communications system, courthouse improvements and a planetarium. Springfield voters will choose whether to raise property taxes for police and fire services. And in Eugene, voters will sort through eight city charter amendments and decide whether to support local school programs with city funds.

The beauty of it is that no one knows exactly what will happen. Despite their armies of pollsters and their carefully calibrated campaigns, the candidates can't control what happens today. The debates, the speeches, and, thankfully, the advertising blitzes are over. The ultimate power - the power to decide - now rests in the hands and in the conscience of each voter.

Theodore White described this moment in his book, `The Making of the President, 1960': `No bands play on Election Day, no troops march, no guns are readied, no conspirators gather in secret headquarters. The noise and the blare, the bands and the screaming, the pageantry and the oratory of the long fall campaign, fade on Election Day. All the planning is over, all effort spent. Now the candidates must wait.'