On April 3, the Oregon House Elections & Ethics Committee passed HB 2084. It provides for a February 5 presidential primary in 2008. Since Oregon votes entirely by mail, this would mean that Oregonians would be casting presidential primary ballots starting in early January, although no results would be known until after February 5. Therefore, Oregonians would be voting in large numbers earlier than the primary voters of any other state.
Under Oregon law, the earliest that ballots can be mailed (except for overseas & military) is 18 days before the election day. Thus, for a February 5 election day, the ballots would not be mailed until January 18. No one could vote until January 19. That is after the Iowa caucuses but before the January 22 NH primary.
My view is that the Oregon Legislature will not change the date and will leave it in May 2008, among the last of the primaries.
Ballots destined for out of state voters can be mailed 29 days before the election — January 7, 2008
http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/254.html
254.470 Procedures for conducting election by mail; rules.
…
3.(d) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this subsection, in the case of ballots to be mailed to addresses outside this state to electors who are not long-term absent electors, the county clerk may mail the ballots not sooner than the 29th day before the date of the election.
The Montana Legislature is considering a bill that would allow the state election official to set a presidential primary election date. The bill in its current form also explicitly allows (but doesn’t require) voting by mail. So if the bill passes, and if the Feb. 5 date is used, it is possible that Montanans could be joining Oregonians in casting the first primary votes of the year.