C.O. Democrats, Republicans rally to get out the vote

Democrats and Republicans alike rallied for change in Bend on Friday as the homestretch of the election arrives and urged voters to fill out and turn in their ballots.

Democrats brought nearly every single Central Oregon candidate to the stage at Pilot Butte Middle School.

Jamie McLeod-Skinner, running for Republican Greg Walden’s 2nd District seat in Congress, started things off, but it was special guest Gov. Kate Brown who was the main event.

The goal of the event, which organizers said drew more than 200 people, was a simple and familiar one: to encourage people to vote.

Brown discussed her campaign and thanked supporters, but her big focus was voter turnout.

“I think it’s so important to encourage Oregonians to vote,” she said. “I literally won my first race for the state House by seven votes. I am living proof that your vote is your voice, and every single voice matters.”

James Cook, Amy Lowes, Sally Russell, Barb Campbell and several other Democratic candidates were also in attendance.

NewsChannel 21 checked in Friday with the Deschutes County Clerk’s Office, and according to County Clerk, Nancy Blankenship, the voter participation rate at this stage as it was for the last midterm general election four years ago.

“Ballots were mailed out last week, and they started coming in through the mail. And so Monday it was a little slow, Tuesday as well. Wednesday, last couple days, we’ve seen a much greater amount of ballots,” she said. “So we’re up to a little over 17 percent, and that’s about where we were four years ago.”

“Of course, there’s a lot more voters, but the percentage is about the same as we were four years ago,” she said.

Attendants at the Democrats’ rally had varied reasons for being there. Gail Sabbadini said she wanted to give back.

“We have already received so much from this country, and we want to see it go in the direction of kindness, compassion and intelligent decisions for solving problems and reaching across both parties,” she said.

Mike Dugan, the county’s former district attorney, said he’s actively participating this year because he wants to see something different.

“And it’s exciting to see the enthusiasm, because I think the enthusiasm is driven because we want to see a change across the United States — to be more social, to be less hateful, and I think that’s what we’re trying to do here,” Dugan said.

Across town, Deschutes County Republicans including, county commissioner candidate Patti Adair, rallied together on Reed Market Road in the afternoon, waving signs at passing drivers.

David Wood said he hopes the signs will encourage some people who aren’t sure who to vote for.

“Just to stir up some more interest for those who haven’t voted yet, or maybe are wavering on the fence. We’re going to try to influence them a little bit,” Wood said.

Lee Fehlberg said she just wants people to get out and vote — which in Oregon is simpler than many places.

“So I’m out here today to urge all the people who have not turned in their ballots yet to please fill out their ballot and get it in the mail,” she said. “This is a very important election.”