The Democratic primaries are moving into full force with the first election in Iowa just weeks away. Candidates can make or break their run for the highest office in the country based on results from the first few states in the first month and a half.
Oregon was the 44th state to vote in the election in the 2016 Democratic primaries and 2020 is shaping up to put Oregon late in the process once again. Registered Democrats in Oregon will have the chance to vote for their candidate on May 19, 2020.
Voter registration ends on April 28 and Oregonians must be registered as Democrats by that time to vote for their nominee for president, according to Democratic Party of Oregon Deputy Director Molly Woon.
“It remains to be seen if there will still be a contested presidential primary,” Woon said. “Some years there is, some years there isn’t.”
The primaries are currently set up so that a candidate needs 2,026 delegates to win the race. Delegates are given proportionally to candidates depending on the percentage of the vote they receive in each state. The larger the population of the state, the more delegates are given out.
Oregon is currently on the schedule as the 46th state in the primary schedule which means that a candidate could have already picked up the necessary amount delegates, making Oregon’s votes just a second thought.
There are lightly populated states that are anything but a second thought — these are the first four. Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina (in order) only make up a meager 156 delegates — California has 415 on its own for comparison — but they represent a major momentum indicator for candidates. States that are in these first four or states that contain a large amount of delegates often get far more attention from candidates – meaning Oregon usually doesn’t.
For UO sophomore Kyle Purdy, this doesn’t sit well. Purdy began researching the issue for an independent study research paper which brought him to the steps of many state legislators and eventually to Salem where he testified in front of state representatives. Purdy’s bill did not pass but the discussion is still worth having, according to Purdy.
The issue isn’t solely about getting attention from candidates, but also getting a broader range of choices. If a candidate can’t get to 15% of the vote in a state, then they are not awarded any delegates. This often means that candidates will drop off over the months as they fail to gain traction. But this also means some candidates may not be on the ballot when the vote makes it way to Oregon.
“Imagine Mathew Knight Arena. If Bernie or Warren or Biden or Buttigieg came and had a big rally, it’d be great,” Purdy said.
In Purdy’s ideal world, Oregon would be moved up to Super Tuesday the same way California jumped up to the delegate-heavy day this election. Super Tuesday is the first Tuesday in March and contains the most delegates of any other month of the whole primary. Moving it here would be the most tactful move, according to Purdy, because California, Colorado, Washington and Utah all have their primaries within a week of each other, making Oregon an easy stop on the way for campaigning candidates.
Students living out of state can often choose whether they want to vote in Oregon or cast a ballot in their home state. Purdy suggests that students consider voting in their home state if the Democratic primary is more important to them than the other other Oregon elections happening at the same time.
For California voters, registration ends on Feb. 18, 2020 and ballots must be either shipped or hand delivered by March 3, 2020. Washington voters must mail or turn in their ballot by March 10, 2020 and be registered by March 2, 2020 or they can register in person on voting day.
Voter registration information is available for all states at vote.gov.
