Voter's Guide - Weighing In At 3 Pounds of 49 Arguments.

Vote time is November 6th (not may like the pic says). Be sure that you submit your voter's registration to the post office YOURSELF and don't give it to any republicans or they just might throw them away! No kidding, it really happened in 2004. And thanks to an honest volunteer at a GOP headquarters, they had the whistle blown on them.

Well, the Oregonian did a little bit on the 49 arguments in the voters guide. Take a look-a-see.

Voter guide thick with Measure 49 arguments
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
DAVE HOGAN The Oregonian Staff

With people putting their money where their mouth is, voters are lucky that the Nov. 6 ballot has only two statewide measures.

The voters pamphlet mailed to homes next month adds up to 90-plus pages, packed with 175 paid arguments for and against the proposals.

Most of that is a record 117 arguments about Measure 49, which would revise a 2004 property-rights law. The voters pamphlet, which arrives in homes next month, will include 69 arguments for the proposal and 48 against it.

No other ballot measure racked up anywhere near that many arguments, according to records dating back to 1992. The most during that time were 83 arguments regarding 2004's Measure 37, the same property-rights initiative that would be revised by this year's ballot measure.

"Measure 49 is certainly the most arguments we've ever received on a measure," says Tami Dettwyler of the state Elections Division.

Supporters and opponents of ballot measures have to pay $500 to spell out up to 325 words of their thoughts in the voters pamphlet, so Measure 49's discussions cost more than $55,000.

Other measures that sparked large numbers of published arguments in the past included a proposed income tax surcharge in February 2004, which had 75 arguments for and against. And in 2004, Oregonians felt strongly enough to pay for 68 arguments regarding Measure 36, which specified that marriage is between a man and a woman.

The other measure on this year's ballot, Measure 50, drew 58 arguments about the proposal to raise cigarette taxes to fund children's health programs. That includes 27 for and 31 against.
That means the 175 arguments about this year's two measures is almost as many as the 196 arguments for all of the dozen measures on the November 2002 ballot.

Election officials plan to have this year's voters pamphlet delivered to Oregon homes Oct. 10-12.
Dave Hogan: 503-221-8531; davehogan@news.oregonian.com