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issuesHasso Hering Explores IP Issues
Editorial: Independents want what? by Hasso Hering, Editor Among Oregon’s political candidates, many Democrats and Republicans suddenly also want to become the nominees of the Independent Party. They want the label, but voters may wonder if they also want the ideas. What ideas? There’s no Independent Party platform. But there are other indications from articles on the party’s website. Campaign finance reform is near the top of the list. The party would like to see limits on political contributions, especially the contributions of corporations. The Oregon constitution doesn’t allow limits on that form of political speech, so the party position would require a constitutional amendment to carry out. . . . These ideas have in common that they favor state politics in which the average citizens gain influence and the special interests — especially the interests with lots of money — have less. The details are open to debate, but that’s not a bad program for which to campaign. Read more ... Oregonian Article: D Party Pressures Governor to Veto SB 326by Jeff Mapes, The Oregonian Oregon political activists who operate outside the two major parties are poised to gain new powers that could change the state's elections in unpredictable ways. In the waning hours of the legislative session, lawmakers approved a bill that allows candidates to list the nomination of more than one political party on the ballot. That same measure, Senate Bill 326, also repealed a 2005 law that had made it difficult for candidates for not affiliated with any party to gather the signatures they need to qualify for the ballot. Taken together, the changes are aimed at easing -- if only slightly -- the grip that the two major parties have on politics in Oregon. Read more ... WW Editorial: Why won’t Democratic leaders let two election reform bills come up for a vote?
Democratic legislative leaders have consigned two highly popular electoral reform bills to oblivion in the final days of the 2009 session. The bills’ dormancy reveals two things: how ruthlessly D’s will protect their hard-won turf from minor parties and how keen the Oregon Education Association is to maintain the current system. House Bill 2414 would allow general-election ballots to show candidates carrying the nomination of up to three parties, so that, say, a Democrat could also be endorsed by the Pacific Green Party or a Republican by the Libertarian Party. Despite sailing through the House 53-7 on March 31, the so-called “fusion voting” measure is stuck in the Senate Rules Committee. There, committee chairman Sen. Richard Devlin (D-Tualatin) has declined to move the bill, although a bipartisan letter from 16 of Oregon’s 30 senators asked him to send the bill to the Senate floor for a vote. Oregon Legislature Votes to Abolish the Political Tax CreditBoth houses of the Oregon Legislature have voted to abolish Oregon's tax credit for small contributions to political campaigns, effective January 1, 2014. This will make Oregon politicians even more dependent on large contributions from corporations, unions, and wealthy individuals. The political tax credit is one of the few decent features of Oregon law pertaining to political campaigns. Oregon is one of only 2 states with no limits on campaign contributions for state and local races, now that Illinois and New Mexico have adopted limits this year. The amount raised and spent on campaigns for state and local offices in Oregon has increased from $4 million in 1996 to over $40 million in 2006. Voting in Oregon Should be Free, not Hostage to PostageDan Meek testified to the House Rules Committee on May 27, 2009, that Oregon needs to pay the postage on the envelopes containing ballots used in the vote-by-mail system. The Secretary of State does not keep track of how many ballots are not delivered to the county election offices due to insufficient postage. As the U.S. Postal Service is now increasing its rates nearly every year, the chances that a voter will put too little postage on his ballot envelope is increasing. Oregonian Agrees: No Campaign Cash for Legislative Aides' Living Expenses
Kill this wrong-headed bill expanding the conversion of campaign contributions in Oregon When it comes to being loosey-goosey, no other state can top Oregon lawmakers' questionable use of campaign contributions. Long after their campaigns are over, some of them spend it as if it were a gift for their personal use as office holders. They spend it on car repairs, framed art for their offices, pizza parties, newspaper subscriptions, cell phones, restaurant meals, hotel rooms, personal dry cleaning, even their favorite charities. Now some members of the Legislature seek to expand this out-of-control practice. Senate Bill 803 would allow lawmakers to dip into their campaign funds to pay for lodging in Salem for their legislative assistants. Oregon House passes "cross-nomination" bill
The bill, which is supported by the Secretary of State, includes a provision that requires the Legislature to review the effects of the changes after the 2010 election. It came in response to a legal dispute between the previous Secretary of State and some of the state's minor political parties (Working Families, Independent). That suit asserts that current Oregon law requires the opportunity for multiple party labels to be printed. "This is an important and reasonable clarification of current law. It protects the free association rights of candidates and political parties and gives voters information they need to make more a informed decision when voting," said State Representative Peter Buckley (D-Ashland), a chief co-sponsor of the bill. OPB Covers Independent Party Testimony re Initiative ProcessLawsuit Sparks Petition Signature Reform Bill Oregon Public Broadcasting Some people are calling for reform after a recent federal lawsuit over the way Oregon verifies signatures on initiative petitions. Salem correspondent Chris Lehman has more. Opponents of a gay rights bill sued in federal court saying signatures on a petition to overturn the law were improperly rejected. The judge threw out the suit but said it raised significant questions about Oregon’s citizen initiative process. |
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The Oregon House of Representatives today overwhelmingly (52-8) passed HB 2414, which will allow any candidate for partisan office, who is nominated by multiple parties, to show the names of up to 3 nominating parties on the general election ballot. such as: "Peter Buckley: Democratic, Working Families" or "Vicki Berger: Republican, Independent".