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Oregonians to Decide Five Statewide Initiatives in November

Written by Ryan Tribbett on Sep. 19th, 2024
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From ranked choice voting to rebate checks for every man, woman, and child statewide, Oregon voters will have some big decisions to make come Election Day on November 5th.

Five ballot measures have been certified for the 2024 general election, including two citizen-led initiatives and three others referred directly by state lawmakers. The Secretary of State’s Office recorded 55 initiative petitions this year, though other efforts were either withdrawn, abandoned, or have not collected the minimum number of signatures needed to be qualified. 

Oregon is one of 26 states with a citizen initiative process, allowing petitioners to seek changes to statutes or the state constitution. Between 1985 and 2022, a total of 279 measures have appeared on the statewide ballot — an average of nearly seven per year, according to the nonprofit Ballotpedia. Of those, 135 were approved and 144 were defeated, or roughly a 48% success rate.

In order to be certified, a proposed initiative must first be approved for circulation. Chief petitioners must then obtain a set number of signatures from registered voters by no later than four months prior to the next general election.

The number of required signatures for ballot initiatives is based on the number of votes cast for governor during the most recent gubernatorial election. For statutory amendments, it is 6% of the total votes cast for governor, and 8% for constitutional amendments. 

To qualify for the 2024 election, that total added up to 117,173 signatures for statutory amendments and 156,231 for constitutional amendments.

Just two citizen initiatives managed to cross that threshold. Measure 118 would create a 3% corporate tax on sales for businesses and use the proceeds to send checks to everyone who lived in the state for 200 days the prior year. Measure 119 would make it easier for workers at cannabis retailers and processors to unionize. 

Meanwhile, three other measures were referred to the ballot last year by state lawmakers. Measure 115 would allow the Legislature to impeach elected officials if approved by a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate; Measure 116 would create an independent commission to determine salaries and compensation for elected officials; and Measure 117 would implement ranked choice voting for all state and federal elections.

Ranked choice voting gives voters the option to rank candidates running for a particular office by order of preference, rather than selecting a single candidate. If one candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, they win. If not, the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated, and their votes are instead recast for the voter’s second choice. This process is then repeated until there is a winner. 

Measure 119 would require cannabis retailers and processors to sign a “labor peace agreement” with a union in order to be licensed by the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, guaranteeing that management will remain neutral if their employees take steps to join a union.

Measure 118, known as the “Oregon Rebate,” would impose a 3% tax on corporate sales over $25 million annually to pay out an annual check to every individual statewide — regardless of need. Opponents argue Measure 118 will force businesses to raise prices, cut jobs, and possibly close or move out of state. They also warn that Measure 118 would increase costs on consumers at a time when inflation is already high. As of August 27th, the “Defeat the Costly Sales on Tax” political action committee has raised more than $5.8 million from a variety of industries and sectors. 

If passed, the Oregon Legislative Revenue Office estimates Measure 118 will directly impact 2,401 businesses, resulting in 28,000 fewer jobs and increase inflation by 1.3%.

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