Published: November 1, 2000

Ballot Busters

Will Chubb is one happy fellow. It's a little after 10 on a Sunday morning, a time when a lot of 19-year-olds like him are nursing hangovers. But Chubb, freshly turned out in black Nikes, black slacks, and a light blue long-sleeved shirt, has installed himself at the entrance to Powell's, a bookstore that swallows an entire block in a funky downtown neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, not far from a wine bar and two used-record shops. A summer sun is climbing the sky, but Powell's generous overhang offers the fair-skinned Chubb ample shade. "I love the shade," he says with a broad smile.

Chubb has come here with great expectations. Powell's boasts 6,000 patrons a day, many of whom come from the city's suburbs and beyond to root among the store's 1 million books. These are educated people, Chubb figures, and they're bound to have time on their hands this morning, making them perfect targets for his pitch.

"Howdy. Are...