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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 29, 1976)
PAGE 4 WARM SPRINGS, OREGON "OCTOBER 29, 1976 A look at the Ballot Many voters become aware of the measures presented by the Legislature for approval by the general public only when faced with the ballot on elec tion day. It is difficult to understand the language of the measures, let alone all the issues involved, when hurrying through the ballot. The Voters’ Pamphlet compiled by the Sec retary of State is a help to those who wish to prepare for voting, but it takes some en durance to get through the 35 pages of detailed information. Spilyay has attempted to condense and simplify avail able information about the bal lot measures so that you can be ready for Election Day. The Voters’ Pamphlet and the Lea gue of Women Voters provided the substance for the following summary. AGAINST: This would add confusion because not all coun ty officers would be elected at the same time. There might be a poorer voter turnout at spe cial elections. Such a change would involve unnecessary additional costs. A YES VOTE means you feel the legislature should be allowed to examine the exist ing dates, a yes vote does not necessarilv change the dates. A NO VOTE means you feel the constitution should continue to require that the dates for state, national and local primaries and elections be the same. BALLOT MEASURE NO. 3 - “Lowers Minimum Age for Legislative Service” THE PROPOSAL: That the minimum age for membership in the legislature be lowered to BALLOT MEASURE NO. 1 - 18 and that a Senator or Validates Inadvertently Super Representative be a registered voter of this state. seded Statutory Amendments” THE CHANGE: Present THE PROPOSAL: When two or more pieces of legis minimum age is 21. FOR: The voting age has lation are passed amending the same statue, both amendments been lowered to 18 so it is would take effect unless there appropriate that the age for service be is a conflict in purpose. If eligibility of there is a conflict, then the lowered. Eighteen year-olds last act signed by the Gover pay taxes, vote and serve in the military so they should be nor would control. THE CHANGE: Presently able to serve in office, too. AGAINST: Eighteen to any amendment which fails to incorporate an earlier amend twenty-one year-olds often don’t have the maturity or everyday ment nullifies the earlier one. ARGUMENTS FOR: This experience of older people. The measure would ‘‘streamline the average person in this age legislative process and save bracket doesn’t own property tax dollars.” Much valuable» or pay property taxes. A YES VOTE means you staff time has been spent look ing up previous legislation to would like to see the minimum iron out conflicts. Passage of age be lowered to 18. A NO VOTE means you Ballot Measure No. 1; would save time and ensure that feel 21 should be the minimum legislation not be ‘‘accidentally age for serving in office. nullified” because of conflicts. ARGUMENTS AGAINST: This could be an attempt to ABSENTEE BALLOT cover legislative errors that available at the shouldn’t be made and to cir cumvent earlier rulings by the County Court House Attorney General and the Su preme Court. 8:30-5 A YES VOTE means you are in favor of changing the constitution according to the BALLOT MEASURE NO. 4 - “Repeals Emergency Succes above proposal. A NO VOTE means you’d sion Provision” THE PROPOSAL: To re like the constitution to stay the peal a section of the Oregon way it is. Constitution that requires the legislature to provide by law for temporary succession to BALLOT MEASURE NO. 2 - vacated public offices in the Allows Changing City, County event of enemy attack. election Days” THE CHANGE: Existing THE PROPOSAL: That the law provides for a number of Legislature be allowed to set a procedures that would ensure statewide date for city and the smooth continuation of state county elections, different from and local government in case the existing constitutional re the “enemy” attacks. Measure quirement. No. 4 would repeal this law THE CHANGE: Presently and re-activate constitutional the constitution requires that provisions for succession. city and county officers be FOR: The existing law is nominated on the statewide felt to be out-dated and bulky primary election day and gen as it was a response to the eral elections for city and town Cold War and requires an un officers be held on statewide necessary amount of paper general election day. This re work as preparation for a pos quirement would be removed sible need for succession. to allow the legislature to set a AGAINST: A means for different uniform statewide orderly succession is just as date. important now as it was when FOR: The legislature would the law was passed. be free to study the advant A YES VOTE would mean ages and disadvantages of pre you favor repealing the present sent dates and determine if a section of the constitution and change in election dates would returning to previous provi be better for voters, taxpayers sions. and local government. More A. NO VOTE means you attention might be given to are in favor of the existing local races and issues and bal law. lots might be simplified if the dates are changed. BALLOT MEASURE NO. 5 - ’’Permits Legislature to Call Special Session” THE PROPOSAL: That the legislature be allowed to con vene itself whenever a major ity of the members deem it necessary because of emergen cy. THE CHANGE: This would not be a change, but an ad dition. Measure No. 5 would add a third method of conven ing to the existing two methods: 1. a required “regu lar session” every two years. 2. “special sessions” called by the Governor’s proclamation on “extraordinary occasions”. FOR: The legislature should be allowed to “respond quickly and flexibly” in the case of unanticipated problems or situations. It is not truly democratic for the Governor to have sole right to convene the legislature for special sessions. AGAINST: The Governor is the chief executive and should be solely responsible for de claring emergencies and acti vating machinery to deal with the problems. This measure would increase the possibility of the operation of party poli tics and is an opening wedge for annual sessions. A YES VOTE would pro vide a third way for the legis lature to convene. A NO VOTE would main tain the current system of con vening legislature. BALLOT MEASURE NO. 6 - "Allows Charitable, Fraternal, Religious Organizations Bingo” VOTE! AT THE TEEN CENTER November 2 8 A.M. - 8 P.M. BALLOT MEASURE NO. 7 - “Partial Public Funding of Election Campaigns’’ THE PROPOSAL: That a public fund be established to provide financing for the cam paigns of candidates for state office. Funds to be provided by individual taxpayers through a voluntary check-off on their tax returns and will only pay for expenses related to public communications. Candidates nominated in the primary will be eligible to participate in the public fund; otherwise eligi bility is based on receipt of a percentage of total votes cast in the election and amount of private funds spent. THE CHANGE: Presently an individual can make private donations which are tax de-. Juctible. No governmental mechanism exists for the public support of political campaigns. FOR: Measure No. 7 would make public office more ac cessible to all, wealthy or not, and would discourage the mis use of private funds and the inordinate amount of time spent in fund-raising. Sufficient guidelines ensure that the indi vidual’s voluntary tax check-off would be used fairly and not benefit candidates personally. AGAINST: This measure would reduce the amount of tax money in the general fund. It would add another govern mental function that might re quire additional appropriations for administering. Tax credits and deductions already exist for those individuals who wish to donate to political cam paigns. A YES VOTE would esta blish the voluntary Fair Elec tions Fund. A NO VOTE means oppo sition to the fund as proposed. BALLOT MEASURE NO. 8 • “Increases Motor Fuel, Ton mile Taxes” THE PROPOSAL: To in crease motor fuel tax from 7 to 8 cents per gallon and in crease by 26 per cent the taxes and fees on commercial car riers. This money would be spent on highway maintenance and reconstruction only. • FOR: At a slight cost to tiie individual a large amount of funds will be available for improvement and repair of ex isting roads. Other highway funds could be freed up for parks, recreational, scenic and historic purposes. AGAINST: Passenger cars are already paying more than their share of road taxes. Too much money is being spent on bike paths and greenways and on highways, and. not enough on mass transportation. A YES VOTE would in crease the taxes and fees men tioned above. A NO VOTE would main tain current levels of fees and taxes. THE PROPOSAL: That the constitution be changed so that the legislature can enact laws to allow charitable, fraternal or religious organizations to operate games of bingo or lotto. THE CHANGE: The con stitution presently prohibits lotteries. Measure No. 6 would remove this ban to allow the legislature to determine appro priate limits. This measure would not provide for the establishment of such lottery operations, but would allow the legislature to enact laws pro viding for them. FOR: Bingo can be used to raise funds for valuable ser- vices offered to state residents. It is an acceptable form of / ***************************** social recreation and is per- * mitted in many other states. » Local control might be possible » under legislation resulting from » this constitutional amendment. ♦ AGAINST: Legalization of * any lottery takes Oregon in the * wrong direction. Enforcement * of regulations concerning such * lotteries might be expensive. * Allowing tax-exempt organiza- * It hasn’t been all that long dians adjudged competent to tions to hold lotteries is dis- * since the Indian people re take over their allotments (and criminatory. » ceived the right to vote, along become citizens) immediately. A YES VOTE means you ♦ “Competency” was deter favor the legislature being en-» with other citizenship rights. mined for years by “compe Under the Dawes Severalty abled to enact laws providing» for bingo and Looto in certain » Act of 1887, citizenship for tency commissions” which is Indians was first considered. sued “certification of compe situations. A NO VOTE means you* This act encouraged individual tency.” This was seen as a feel that no gambling should * ownership of reservation lands step toward “discountinuing be legalized. * by dividing reservations into guardianship over all compe allotments to be taken over by tent Indians” as started in the » families or individuals. Full 1917 “Declaration of Policy” of title to the land could be the Indian Bureau. Since a growing number of obtained after 25 years if the Indian was adjudged “compe Indians were obtaining citizen tent.” Along with this would ship through allotment, a push for full citizenship for Indians come full citizenship. As it turned out, before the was launched by the Indian 25 years were up the Burke Bureau in the twenties. There Act (1906) permitted those In was also more than a bit of Voting... NATIONAL AND STATE ELECTIONS
