A higher percentage of Oregon voters on Tuesday cast “protest votes” than in recent presidential primaries, according to partial returns, a sign of diminished enthusiasm for the two major party candidates.
About 12% of Oregon Democrats and 8% of Oregon Republicans who cast ballots in Tuesday’s primary voted for candidates other than their party’s presumptive presidential nominee, according to ballots tallied as of 10 p.m.
By comparison, in 2020, 6% of Oregon Republican voters cast votes against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. In 2012, about 5% of Oregon Democratic voters did not vote for presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama.
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The so-called “protest vote” is watched by political analysts as a measure of support for the major parties’ nominees and an indicator of how likely voters are to cast votes in what’s expected to be a close general election in November.
Of the more than 335,000 Democratic votes counted as of 7 a.m. Wednesday, Biden had 88% of his party’s vote, while longshot candidate Marianne Williamson, the only other Democratic candidate for president on Oregon’s primary ballot had 7%. Another 5% wrote in votes for other candidates.
Trump, again the presumptive Republican nominee, has stronger support among registered Republicans in Oregon. Of the 256,000 Republican votes counted as of 7 a.m., he had 92% of his party’s vote, while 8% wrote in votes for other candidates. Trump was the lone Republican on the Oregon ballot.
It’s unclear how many voters returned ballots without selecting a presidential nominee or writing one in.
Both Trump and Biden locked up their parties’ nominations two months ago, winning enough delegates to prevail at their respective conventions this summer.
So far nationwide, there have been more protest votes against Trump.
Nationally, Biden has faced dissent within the Democratic Party over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Trump, meanwhile, alienated some Republicans, particularly in suburban areas, with his role in the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol.
The group Uncommitted Oregon last week held a press conference in downtown Portland’s Lownsdale Square and asked Democratic voters to write in “uncommitted.” It wants a ceasefire in Gaza, an end to military aid to Israel and more humanitarian for Gazans.
The group said it expected upwards of 40,000 Oregonians to vote “uncommitted” based on its analysis of voting patterns in states that already held primary elections.
“If protesting the Biden administration is your intent, there is no clearer expression of that intent than writing in ‘uncommitted’ on your ballot,” said Uncommitted Oregon Campaign Manager Kai McMurtry.
The Democratic candidate for president has prevailed in the past nine general elections in Oregon. Ronald Reagan was the last Republican presidential candidate to carry the state, with 56% of the vote in 1984.
– Matthew Kish covers business, including the sportswear and banking industries. Reach him at 503-221-4386, mkish@oregonian.com or @matthewkish.
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