Oregon elections officials inspect ballots

SALEM, Ore. – Watched closely by monitors for the Bush and Kerry campaigns, workers in the Marion County election office began opening mail ballots Tuesday to make sure voting marks on the ballots can be read by counting machines on Nov. 2.

It was a scene that’s being played out at county election offices across Oregon, as volunteers for the Democrats and the Republicans watched for any problems that might crop up as ballots are processed for counting.

“This has to be the most well-observed election in history,” said state Elections Director John Lindback.

Oregon is the only state in the nation where people are voting exclusively by mail. Ballots were sent to voters on Oct. 15, and have been arriving back at county clerks’ offices by the hundreds of thousands to be counted on Nov. 2.

As the ballots come in, monitors for the Bush and Kerry campaigns are providing unprecedented scrutiny to make sure one side or the other doesn’t gain an edge in this battleground state because of errors – intentional or otherwise – on voters’ ballots.