Initial Oregon vote results come gushing in; Portland vote gives tax measures early lead

Early Oregon vote results come gushing in

PORTLAND, Ore. — Early results from Oregon’s special election have come gushing in, and a large return from Multnomah County, a liberal bastion, has given two tax measures an early lead.

Polling suggested the final count could be closer. The heavy vote was a result of a new law that allows mailed-in ballots to be scanned days in advance of the close of voting.

With 58 percent of the expected vote counted, 57 percent had voted for Measure 66, which would impose higher taxes on the wealthy, and 43 percent had voted against.

On Measure 67, which would raise taxes on businesses, with 56 percent of the expected vote counted, 56 percent had voted for and 44 percent had voted against.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A surge of last-minute ballots was expected Tuesday as Oregon voters decided whether to impose higher taxes on businesses and the wealthy.

Polling in the special election suggested the results on Measures 66 and 67 will be close.

The stakes in the struggle between business interests and public employee unions are high — the revenue from the two measures is expected to account for about 5.5 percent of the state’s general fund budget over the next two years.

Opponents of the taxes say draining the money from private hands would damage the state’s economy, still hurting from a recession and downturns in construction, real estate and manufacturing that have boosted Oregon’s unemployment rate to 11 percent.

The Oregon Legislature last year approved the tax hike plans, which were then sent to voters for approval. Supporters say the money was part of a package, including federal stimulus dollars and reserve withdrawals, that kept the lawmakers from cutting the budget further. They say losing that revenue will mean more job cuts and larger classes in schools, and more suffering among those dependent on public services.

Some voters dropping off their ballots Tuesday in downtown Portland had mixed feelings.

Angela Dinges, 24, who is studying to be a veterinary assistant, said she struggled with her decision before casting “no” votes on both measures.

“We’re already in a recession so there’s no reason to raise taxes,” Dinges said. “I think it’s going to cause a lot more job losses.”

But Andrew Vanderzanden, 33, who works for a nonprofit, said he was disappointed the measures were referred to voters after the Legislature approved them last summer. He cast votes in favor of both.

“I really believe the Legislature should be able to make that choice,” he said.

Secretary of State Kate Brown predicted that 62 percent of the 2 million registered voters will have mailed in or dropped off their ballots by the time counting begins.

When Oregon voters gave up polling places in 2000, many of them sent their ballots by mail. Now, Brown said, more are waiting until the last minute and then, when it’s too late for the Postal Service to deliver, dropping their ballots in deposit boxes at courthouses and other public places.

“We’ve seen them hold onto their ballots longer, usually resulting in a large spike the weekend before Election Day, and on Election Day itself,” Brown said. The deadline to submit ballots is 8 p.m. Tuesday.

The latest numbers on the secretary of state’s Web site put turnout as of Monday at 50 percent, with more than 1 million ballots returned. With the influx of Tuesday’s ballots, Brown still was expecting turnout to reach 62 percent, said her spokesman, Don Hamilton.

The most closely watched number will be in Portland’s Multnomah County, a bastion of liberals whose turnout was catching up to the statewide figure early Tuesday afternoon at just over 48 percent.

Polling results suggest that raising taxes on the earnings of the wealthy is more popular than raising taxes on business, and raised the possibility that one tax might be approved and the other fail.

Measure 66, on income taxes, was winning approval 50-44 in a poll conducted last week for Oregon Public Broadcasting, Fox 12 TV and the Portland Tribune.

The higher business taxes at issue in Measure 67 also were winning approval. But the results at 48-45 were short of majority approval and within the margin of error of the poll, plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. The poll was of 500 likely voters.

Compared with the results from a similar poll a week earlier, the margins had shrunk and support for the taxes had dropped, as pollster Tim Hibbitts of Portland predicted.