June 29 - SALEM

The Oregon Senate today passed SB 326, which will expand ballot access for non-affiliated candidates and minor political parties. The vote was 25-5. The same bill passed in the Oregon House last week on a vote of 42-17. It now heads to the Governor's desk for signature.

SB 326 consists of two parts:

1. It repeals HB 2614 (2005), a law that made it more than twice as difficult for non-affiliated candidates to obtain sufficient signatures to be nominated for public office.
2. It now includes the provisions of what used to be HB 2414 (prior to its recent gutting), which allows a candidate who is nominated by more thanone party to list up to 3 such party names on the ballot next to her name. More information on HB 2414 is available at http://indparty.com/node/174.

"This is a good day for those hundreds of thousands of Oregon voters who are not members of either the Democratic or Republican Party, and who want to be able to fully participate in the electoral process," said Barbara Dudley, chair of the Oregon Working Families Party.

"This bill restores a great Oregon tradition of giving voters full and accurate information about a candidate's affiliations and agenda," said Sal Peralta, Secretary of the Independent Party of Oregon. "It opens the door for more than 100,000 members of minor political parties to participate more fully in the mainstream political process."

"We are pleased to see the legislature reverse the 2005 law that made it more difficult for non-affiliated candidates run for public office in Oregon. The Independent Party is absolutely committed to protecting ballot access for all Oregonians, particularly those who are unaffiliated with any party," said Linda Williams, chair of the Independent Party.

BACKGROUND

The Independent Party of Oregon was formed in response to legislative changes that made it more difficult for non-affiliated candidates to run for public office. The party was officially recognized in 2007 and has become the third largest political party in Oregon with 45,000 members.

The Independent Party has advocated the repeal of HB 2614 (2005) and in favor of reforms that allow candidates who accept the nominations of more than one political party to have those nominations printed on the Oregon ballot and in the state Voter's Pamphlet.

CONTACT:

Sal Peralta (503) 437-2833
Secretary sal@indparty.com

Linda Williams (503)293-0399
Chair linda@indparty.com