To: The Oregon State House, The Oregon State Senate, and Governor Kate Brown
Refer to Voters Amendment to Oregon Constitution to Allow Limits on Political Campaign Contributi...
Oregon is one of 5 states with no limits on political contributions or expenditures, thanks to a 1997 Oregon Supreme Court opinion interpreting Oregon's "free speech" clause -- the same clause that exists in 37 other state constitutions but has never been so interpreted by the courts of any other state. The Oregon Legislature should refer to voters an amendment to the Oregon Constitution to allow the imposition of such limits. The best version is here: http://or.fairelection.org.
Why is this important?
Oregon's elections are dominated by huge contributions. The Oregonian says that campaigns for the Oregon Legislature are the most expensive in America per capita, except New Jersey. Single Individuals and single corporations often make contributions in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to candidates. It now costs $600,000 to $1 million to win a contested race for the Oregon Legislature, even though a seat in the House can be won with as few as 12,000 votes.
No wonder that the long-standing State Integrity Investigation of the Center for Public Integrity and Public Radio International in November 2015 gave Oregon an overall F grade on avoiding corruption in state government, as well as Fs on political financing, executive accountability, lobbying disclosure, and ethics enforcement agencies. Oregon's overall rank fell from 14th to 42nd, the biggest drop of any state.
It's time for Oregon to join the other 45 states with limits on political contributions.
No wonder that the long-standing State Integrity Investigation of the Center for Public Integrity and Public Radio International in November 2015 gave Oregon an overall F grade on avoiding corruption in state government, as well as Fs on political financing, executive accountability, lobbying disclosure, and ethics enforcement agencies. Oregon's overall rank fell from 14th to 42nd, the biggest drop of any state.
It's time for Oregon to join the other 45 states with limits on political contributions.