NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
A2
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Nonaffiliated voters could be given their own primary
“I’ve been interested in
how our electoral process
works for a long time, par-
ticularly in how the two-
party system limits compe-
tition and keeps the voting
public from exposure to
more than just two points
of view on issues,” Zundel
said.
When Zundel was seek-
ing office, the Pacific Green
Party came the closest to
aligning with his beliefs, but
he’s spent most of about a
decade in Oregon as a non-
affiliated voter, he said.
Under current law, non-
affiliated Oregonians can
vote in primary elections
only for nonpartisan posi-
tions such as for judge.
They have no primary
vote in races set up by party,
such as state representative
or governor.
Richardson and Zun-
del want the state’s 880,000
nonaffiliated voters — who
now outnumber registered
Republicans — to be able
to choose nonaffiliated can-
didates for those partisan
offices.
“Although nearly one-
third of Oregon voters are
not affiliated with any polit-
ical party, those nonaffili-
ated voters often feel left out
of the primary process in
the current system,” Steve
Elzinga, Richardson’s gov-
ernmental and legal affairs
director, told lawmakers on
Secretary of
State taps former
political rival to
develop bill
By CLAIRE
WITHYCOMBE
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — The grow-
ing bloc of Oregonians who
don’t belong to any politi-
cal party could have more
say in elections under a new
proposal from Secretary of
State Dennis Richardson.
Richardson got the idea
from a former rival: Alan
Zundel, the Pacific Green
Party’s candidate for secre-
tary of state in 2016.
Since the election, Rich-
ardson, a Republican, and
Zundel have formed what,
on its face, is an unlikely
alliance between peo-
ple with disparate political
views.
Two years ago, Richard-
son tapped the retired politi-
cal science professor to lead
a task force studying how
the state draws legislative
and congressional districts.
And now Richardson’s
office is advocating for Sen-
ate Bill 225, which is based
on a concept Zundel sug-
gested to him last year. It
would allow nonaffiliated
voters to participate in their
own primary.
Staff photo by E.J. Harris/File
A bundle of ballots sits in a bin after elections officials verify
voter signatures on election night, Nov. 6, 2018, at the Uma-
tilla County Elections Division offices in Pendleton.
Wednesday, Jan. 30.
Under the proposal, non-
affiliated candidates could
enter a state-run primary
where nonaffiliated voters
could cast a ballot for the
nonaffiliated candidate they
preferred.
The winning nonaffil-
iated candidate would go
to the general election in
November and be an option
for all voters in that contest.
Officials from Richard-
son’s office shared the pro-
posal last week with sen-
ators at a meeting of a
committee focused on cam-
paign finance laws.
State
Sen.
Floyd
Prozanski,
D-Eugene,
expressed concerns about
allowing
nonaffiliated
voters to participate in a
major party primary and
potentially “sabotage” the
outcome.
The bill wouldn’t do that,
though, Elzinga clarified.
“It creates a new, effec-
tively, a new party for non-
affiliated voters,” Elzinga
responded.
“They have their own
separate primary for voting
on nonaffiliated candidates,
and the top nonaffiliated
candidate goes to the gen-
eral election as the nonaffili-
ated nominee.”
Major party candidates
would be ineligible to win
the nonaffiliated primary
election “so it doesn’t create
a proxy battle,” Elzinga said.
Major parties have the
option of opening their pri-
maries to all voters.
Republicans and Dem-
ocrats typically keep their
TODAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
Clark County
sheriff will enforce
gun measure
Turning sunny;
very cold
Partly sunny and
cold
Cloudy, snow
showers; cold
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snow; very cold
Mostly cloudy and
very cold
27° 10°
30° 17°
VA N C O U V E R ,
Wash. (AP) — The Clark
County Sheriff’s Office
has announced that it will
enforce a controversial
gun-control measure passed
by voters last November.
The Columbian reports
that the announcement
came Saturday that noted
that while Initiative 1639
was being challenged in
court, the sheriff’s office
intended to heed the new
law for now.
I-1639 was passed last
year by Washington vot-
ers with 59 percent of the
vote. The measure requires
safe storage for firearms and
increases the age limit to buy
a gun to 21. It also redefines
many guns as “semi-auto-
matic assault” rifles while
strengthening the back-
ground check required to
purchase a firearm.
Several other sheriffs in
Washington have said they
won’t enforce the measure.
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
31° 24°
20° 15°
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HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
31° 18°
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OREGON FORECAST
ALMANAC
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PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yest.
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Seattle
Olympia
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Kennewick Walla Walla
27/14
Lewiston
30/13
40/22
Astoria
44/28
Pullman
Yakima 30/12
40/21
31/12
Portland
Hermiston
40/25
The Dalles 31/13
Salem
Corvallis
42/23
Yesterday
Normals
Records
La Grande
27/6
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
Bend
44/24
33/13
29/9
26°
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42/23
0.16"
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through 3 p.m. yest.
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Pendleton 24/3
43/24
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
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HERMISTON
Enterprise
27/10
36/20
24°
18°
44°
28°
65° (2015) -12° (1989)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
39/17
Aberdeen
24/8
26/12
Tacoma
Yesterday
Normals
Records
Spokane
Wenatchee
37/22
Ontario
38/15
Caldwell
Burns
0.27"
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WINDS (in mph)
36/14
29/3
Today
Boardman
Pendleton
Medford
44/22
Thu.
NE 4-8
WNW 4-8
NE 4-8
NNE 4-8
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
34/9
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2019
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
7:11 a.m.
5:08 p.m.
8:21 a.m.
7:05 p.m.
First
Full
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New
Feb 12
Feb 19
Feb 26
Mar 6
NATIONAL EXTREMES
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 86° in McAllen, Texas Low -24° in Crane Lake, Minn.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
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ice
to participate in a state-
funded primary.
Richardson’s proposal is
now before the Senate Rules
Committee, where its fate is
uncertain.
Senate Majority Leader
Ginny Burdick, D-Portland,
chairs the committee.
“That’s undecided,” a
spokesman for Burdick said
in an email Friday. “Basi-
cally it’s too early to tell for
sure.”
Zundel is clear-eyed
about the obstacle his idea
faces in a Legislature where
all legislators represent the
major parties.
“Making it easier for
nonaffiliated candidates to
get on the ballot is going to
increase the possibility that
they’ll have competition,”
Zundel said. “And I think
they’re less afraid of com-
petition, per se, and more
afraid of splitting the vote,
causing somebody to lose an
election who may have had
a majority if there wasn’t
another candidate in the
race.”
———
Reporter Claire Withy-
combe:
cwithycombe@
eomediagroup.com or 971-
304-4148. Withycombe is a
reporter for the East Orego-
nian working for the Oregon
Capital Bureau, a collabo-
ration of EO Media Group,
Pamplin Media Group, and
Salem Reporter.
BRIEFLY
Forecast for Pendleton Area
31° 13°
primaries closed to party
members. The Independent
Party of Oregon decided to
allow nonaffiliated voters
to participate in its primary
last May. Nonaffiliated vot-
ers could request a special
ballot from the Secretary of
State’s office to take part.
A second proposal from
Richardson could apply to
the roughly 45,000 Ore-
gonians who belong to the
state’s five minor parties —
the Libertarian, Constitu-
tion, Working Families, Pro-
gressive and Pacific Green.
Oregon laws “bene-
fit long-established major
parties at the expense of
smaller parties,” Elzinga
told lawmakers.
Members of those parties
can select a general elec-
tion candidate through a
party-run process. Richard-
son has proposed allowing
the state to pay for and run
those primaries instead.
“I will tell you, frankly,
some of the minor parties
are not excited about that,”
Elzinga said. “They like the
current process, and so we
don’t feel it’s appropriate to
require them to do so, but to
give them that option at least
at that time, I think is a good
starting point.”
The state would pay
about $140,000 to run the
nonaffiliated primary every
election year, and $140,000
per minor party that chooses
60s
cold front
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70s
80s
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warm front stationary front
110s
high
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
Children sled down one of Seattle’s steeper hills on Monday.
Western Washington was hit by a major winter storm, with
several inches of snow, cold temperatures and bone-chilling
winds overnight and into the day Monday.
Intel confirms
plans for factory
PORTLAND (AP) —
Intel has acknowledged it
will soon start building a
massive new semiconductor
factory in Hillsboro.
The Oregonian/Oregon-
Live reports the company
told about 50 residents living
near its Ronler Acres cam-
pus that it will build a third
phase of its massive D1X
manufacturing complex.
Intel also said it plans a
new technology building
to support the factory with
emergency generators, util-
ities and additional parking.
Hillsboro city officials
say the chipmaker recently
submitted
construction
permit applications but
the city has yet to provide
documents.
The chipmaker says it
plans to start work in Hill-
sboro sometime in 2019 but
plans remain contingent on
unspecified business and
economic factors.
SECRETARY OF STATE NOTICE OF
PROPOSED RULEMAKING
Oregon Department of Agriculture, Pesticides Program,
Administrative Rules Chapter #603, Seán Fornelli, Rules Coordinator,
(503) 986-4758. Adopt: 603-057-0392. RULE SUMMARY: This
rule prohibits the application of any product containing
aminocyclopyrachlor on certain defined rights-of-way; natural areas;
restoration areas; marshes, swamps, bogs, and wetlands unless all
conditions in an exception are met. This rule prohibits the application
of any product containing aminocyclopyrachlor by any type of aerial
application method. This rule prohibits the application of any product
containing aminocyclopyrachlor in areas where the roots of desirable
trees or shrubs may extend; on the inner or outer banks of ditches or
canals; or in certain proximity to greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus
urophasianus) leks (mating areas).
Hearing Dates: February 15, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. Location: Deschutes
County Road Department, 61150 SE 27th St., Bend, OR; February
22, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. Location: Oregon Department of Agriculture,
Hearing Room, 635 Capitol St. NE, Salem, OR. Last Day for public
comment is February 26, 2019 at 5:00 p.m.
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