Oregon
You have full Initiative & Referendum rights. Citizens can pass laws they write or suspend a statute passed by the Legislature by collecting enough petition signatures to place the statute on the statewide ballot for a decision by the voters. Voters can also initiate constitutional amendments by Initiative.
Poll:
See the results of a poll on support for statewide initiative & referendum here.
Grade: B
Click here to view Oregon’s individual report in Of the People, By the People, For the People: A 2010 Report Card on Statewide Voter Initiative Rights.
Citizen State Coordinator
For more information about how to get involved in protecting and expanding Oregon’s initiative process, contact the Citizens in Charge Foundation Oregon Citizen State Coordinator:
Ross Day
Executive Director of Common Sense for Oregon
State Balloting Process
How you can change Oregon’s government through ballot initiatives
History
Oregon holds the records for the most statewide initiatives (there were
318 between 1904 and 2000), the highest average initiative use (6.6 per
general election), and the most statewide initiatives on the ballot in a
single year - 27 in 1912… Read More
Ballot Qualifications & Schedule
Date initiative language can be submitted: Anytime
Signatures are tied to vote of which office: Governor
Next Gubernatorial election: 2010
Votes cast for governor in last election: 1,375,995
Net number of signatures required: 8% of votes cast for Governor for a
constitutional amendment (110,358) and 6% for a statute (82,769)
Distribution requirement: None
Circulation Period: About two years
Do circulators have to be residents: No.
Date when signatures are due for certification: July 10
Signature verification process: Petitions are turned into the Secretary of
State’s office. The Secretary of State highlights a random sample and
sends them to the appropriate counties for verification.
Single–subject restriction: Oregon has a very strict single subject
requirement.
Legislative tampering: Legislature can repeal and amend initiative
statutes by simple majority.
Excerpted from the Initiative & Referendum Almanac by M. Dane Waters.