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The November 2011 elections close tonight, and voters have until 8 p.m. to submit their ballots. The most interesting aspect of today’s voting effort is the , which may issue in a new era of voting in Oregon.

School budgeting is a key issue currently on the Washington County ballots, with Measure 34-193 aiming at . The use of iPads could increase voter turnout by assisting disabled voters, as well as appealing to the tech savvy of young voters who have recently struggled through life in a public school system on a tight budget.

For now, the touchscreen tablets are only being used in a few districts where election officials have visited assisted living facilities to help disabled voters as they tap their vote on the screen, print out the results and turn the printed form in as their official ballot. This opens up a new streamlining of voting semantics, because the technology in question allows lobbyists, elected officials and assorted political figures to reach voters practically as they cast a vote.

Consider that a  was voted down in May of this year, and last week it . Schoening, the executive director of school modernization for Portland Public Schools, was a key figure among the group pushing the bond.

While there isn’t a replacement bond yet in public discussion, facilities throughout the Portland School District are still in need of attention. Case in point, Web-facilitated home schooling is growing as a popular option in lieu of traditional schooling and such programs as are catching on. Furthermore, city and county officials are relying more and more on tech savvy to save money and reach their constituents.

How instrumental iPad voting will be depends on its success during this special primary. With several issues floating in the democratic waters this and next season, voters can anticipate e-campaigns focused on capital construction issues and more in the buildup to the vote in 2012.

Just think, you can go from with your elected official to tapping for their reelection in seconds!