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legislatureStatesman-Journal Article on SB 326
Peter Wong Minor political parties and independent candidates will get a boost from an elections bill that Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski plans to sign. Senate Bill 326, which cleared the Legislature on its final day June 29, does two things. It repeals a 2005 law that bars voters from signing nomination petitions for a partisan public office in a general election if they already cast Democratic or Republican ballots in a primary election. The law made it more difficult for candidates not affiliated with a party to qualify for the ballot. It also allows candidates on a general-election ballot to list nominations by a maximum of three political parties, instead of just one. This proposal has been described as "fusion light," based on what is done in seven other states, but advocates say it simply returns Oregon law to what it was prior to 50 years ago. Oregonian Editorial Urges Governor to Sign SB 326by The Oregonian editorial board Democratic leaders and organized labor are pushing Gov. Ted Kulongoski to veto a bill that hardcore partisans see as a threat to the party's political dominance in Oregon. The governor should resist the pressure and sign it. Senate Bill 326 deserves to become law because it would modestly open up the state's political system. It would do so by making it less difficult for independent, nonaffiliated candidates to run for public office and by boosting the profile of minor political parties. 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 That same measure, Senate Bill 326, also repealed a 2005 law that had made it difficult for candidates for not affiliated with any party to gather the signatures they need to qualify for the ballot.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 ... Oregonian Article on SB 326 VictoryHow would fusion voting change Oregon politics? by Jeff Mapes On the last day of the session, you might say the Oregon Legislature struck a blow for political activists who operate outside the two-party system. After a long fight - which mostly seemed to play out behind closed doors - lawmakers passed Senate Bill 326, which did two things. It repealed a 2005 law that made it hard for non-affiliated candidates to qualify for the ballot in Oregon. And it allowed candidates to list other parties (up to two) that have nominated them in addition to their main parties. Read more ... Press Release: Ballot Access Bill Heads to Governor's DeskJune 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:
IPO Press Release on HB 2414 (June 9, 2009)FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 9, 2009 OEA, Democratic Party Block Ballot Access Legislation Despite overwhelming floor votes in favor of bills to allow greater competition in elections by minor parties and non-affiliated candidates, the Legislature appears to be holding up those bills so that they cannot receive final passage. Our HB 2414 is Not the One Changing the Meaning of a Referendum VoteThere has been much publicity over the past few days about "HB 2414" and how it would reverse the meaning of votes on certain expected referenda on tax bills enacted by the 2009 Oregon Legislature. This new "HB 2414" is not the HB 2414 that is part of the IPO's 2009 legislative agenda. Instead, our HB 2414 was "gutted and stuffed" with the new content. Read More ... "Lawmakers Lock Out Third Parties" says Portland ObserverLawmakers Lock Out Third Parties A bill that could bolster third parties and alter Oregon's politics might die a silent death in committee as the legislature wraps up its current session. Oregon House Bill 2414 could change the way politicians build electoral coalitions and would give third parties more clout by allowing them to formally nominate candidates from the Democratic and Republican parties. Under such a system a candidate would run in either the Democratic or Republican party primaries, and then could be endorsed by up to two of the state's six minor parties, ending the "spoiler" factor often associated with third-party efforts. |
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