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Tuesday May 9th
4:00 P.M.
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ACCESSIBLE TO ALL PEOPLE. Sign language
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Sponsored by Disability Project Committee with special
thanks to the ASUO and Sias Response Team.
Proposal supporters intend
to fine-tune initiative system
■ But opponents of Ballot
Measures 78 and 79 say they
would take power out of the
hands of Oregonians
By Darren Freeman
Oregon Daily Emerald
Two measures on the May 16
primary ballot would amend the
Oregon Constitution to alter the
state’s pacesetting initiative
process.
Measure 7*8 would allow the
secretary of state’s office 30 days
to count and verify the signatures
and qual
ify initia
tives as
ballot
m e a s -
ures. The
office
currently
has 15
days.
Mea
sure 79
would
increase
BALLOT
MEASURE
the number of signatures needed
to place initiatives proposing
constitutional amendments on a
general election ballot from 8 per
cent of the voting population to
12 percent.
Supporters say the measures
would fine-tune the initiative
process, while detractors don’t
like the sound of the proposals,
saying they are parts of a larger
legislative campaign to limit Ore
gonians’ voices in the lawmaking
process.
Debate over Measure 78 has
been sedate compared to argu
ments over Measure 79. Nonethe
less, positions have been staked
on both sides of the issue.
Supporters and opponents
alike say Measure 78 would ease
the duties of the secretary of
state’s office, which verified more
than 2 million signatures in 1996
and expects to see as many as 3
million this year.
“We barely were able to finish
the process in the 15 days in
1996," Oregon director of elec
tions Colleen Sealock said,
adding that the office would be
able to more professionally per
form its duty if allowed the addi
tional time.
Opponents say the measure
would postpone notification of
qualifying initiatives, however,
and thereby would delay cam
paigns’ strategy planning.
“We’re somewhat concerned
that it’s another way to delay the
initiative process,” Becky Miller,
executive of assistant of Oregon
Taxpayers United, said.
“Though it’s more convenient
for the secretary of state, it’s in
convenient for petition gather
ers,” she said. “Because the initia
tive process is to serve the people
and not the secretary of state, we
feel a ‘no’ vote is in order.”
On the other hand, supporters
say the inconvenience for politi
cal campaigns would be minimal,
while the benefit to the secretary
of state’s office would be great.
Oregon Taxpayers United,
headed by Bill Sizemore, has tak
en a much more passionate stand
against Measure 79, arguing that
its passage would exclude poor
ly-funded grassroots organiza
tions, which are unable to
bankroll major petition cam
paigns, from the initiative
process.
“People like us will still have
the money to put a measure on
the ballot,” Miller said, referring
to Oregon Taxpayers United. “All
it’s going to do is lock out every
day people.”
“Increasing the signatures re
quired by 50 percent is a huge in
crease and is unnecessary,” said
Dane Waters, president of the na
tional Initiative and Referendum
Institute. “This is a full frontal as
sault on the initiative process.”
Waters said Measure 79, which
the Oregon Legislature referred to
the ballot, is the result of two fac
tors — politicians’ distrust of the
initiative process and the pressur
ing of special interests, such as
the logging lobby, which is often
targeted by initiatives.
Supporters of the measure,
however, say it’s in the best inter
est of the state and is intended to
protect the Oregon Constitution.
Ken Tollenaar, a retired Univer
sity faculty member and member
of the Oregon Initiative Commit
tee, pointed out that the measure
would only affect proposed con
stitutional amendments and not
initiative statutory additions,
which require 6 percent of the
voting population to make an ini
tiative a ballot measure.
Measure 78
The state ballot measure would in
crease the number of days from 15
to 30 that the secretary of state’s
office has to verify signatures
needed to qualify initiatives as bal
lot measures.
Supporters say the secretary of
state’s office needs the additional
15 days to review the increasing
number of initiatives filed in Ore
gon.
Opponents say the measure would
delay the initiative process and cut
time out of campaigns’ strategy
sessions.
Measure 79
The state ballot measure would in
crease the number of signatures
needed to place initiatives propos
ing constitutional amendments on
the ballot from 8 percent of the
voting population to 12 percent.
Supporters say the Oregon Consti
tution is being cluttered with
amendments that should be filed
as statutory amendments. They
say the measure would encourage
filers of initiatives to focus on en
acting statutory changes.
Opponents say the increased re
quirement will block grassroots
campaigns, which are inadequate
ly funded to gather the additional
signatures, from proposing neces
sary constitutional amendments.
They say the measure is part of a
legislative effort to weaken the ini
tiative process.
“Campaigns might have to
raise a little more money if they
insist on putting their measures
in the constitution, but they
could always propose a statutory
change,” Tollenaar said. “The
constitution is supposed to be the
basic contract between people
and their government; it’s a very
poor vehicle to enact public
change.”
Measure 79 has garnered the
support of the American Civil
Liberties Union for the same rea
son.
“We’re always concerned about
proposed changes to the Oregon
Bill of Rights,” ACLU assistant
director Jann Carson said. “Its
purpose is to protect the minority
from the whims and the oppres
sion of the majority.”
gp'l
oj'vpc, concern, or a sf0/y
7C/f
e^p
Give us a call. 346-5511
'^/O
Emerald
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