Campaign Finance Reform - in Oregon

Critics of big money in politics charge that Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler is failing to follow a new law requiring that big donors be listed in advertising for city races.

House Bill 4124 would most likely ensure that a key campaign finance reform measure passed by Oregonians in 2006 will never go in effect, writes attorney Dan Meek. If the current walkout mirrors last year's and Republicans return with a few days remaining, the bill could be one of many passed in the rush to sine die.

House Bill 4124 would most likely ensure that a key campaign finance reform measure passed by Oregonians in 2006 will never go in effect, writes attorney Dan Meek. If the current walkout mirrors last year's and Republicans return with a few days remaining, the bill could be one of many passed in the rush to sine die.

Ronald Buel, a member of political action committee Honest Elections Oregon, said in his complaint filed last week in Multnomah County Circuit Court that he believes Wheeler has received more than $73,000 in contributions that violate the legal limit.

Will Oregon lawmakers appoint a campaign contribution limits task force likely to propose keeping political money flowing freely in the state?

New legislation would delay voter-approved campaign finance limits if Oregon Supreme Court upholds constitutionality of donor caps.

Seven Portland City Council candidates including incumbent Commissioner Chloe Eudaly have qualified to receive taxpayer dollars to help fund their campaigns, leading to more than $550,000 set to be doled by the end of January, according to the city.

Oregon is among a handful of states with no limits on campaign contributions in elections. The 2020 session offers lawmakers another chance to change that.

The Oregon Capitol (Salem Reporter archives) Rep. Dan Rayfield, D- Corvallis, wants to keep the campaign field for candidates level this year as courts and legislators untangle campaign finance reforms but he wants to short circuit a voter-approved measure to do that. Dan Meek, a longtime campaign finance reform advocate,[Read More...]

Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, writes that big-dollar contributions to elected officials and Oregonians' distaste for such donations underscore the simple need for Oregon to adopt strong campaign finance regulations.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown told reporters on Friday that the state Legislature should not pass campaign contribution limits during the short session that begins in February. She did not cite any specific benefits of waiting until at least 2021. Voters will decide in November whether to amend the state Constitution to allow contribution caps.

Advocates are pressing a crop of political candidates to abide by local campaign finance limits, which were passed by voters last year but quickly faced legal challenges.

Ronald Buel, a member of political action committee Honest Elections Oregon, filed complaints with the Portland City Auditor’s Office claiming that since September, Wheeler accepted 15 donations that exceeded $500 and Ozzie Gonzalez and Jack Kerfoot each accepted four.

Mayor Ted Wheeler and three other local political candidates are facing scrutiny for accepting hefty donations that clash with local campaign finance regulations passed by voters. On Thursday, a Portland resident who campaigned for the new policies filed official complaints against those four candidates, kicking off an investigation that could land the candidates in court. In 2018, Portlanders voted by an overwhelming majority to approve Measure 26-200, a campaign finance reform initiative that, among other...

This month Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler donated $16,000 to charities that originally came as campaign donations from the man at the center of last week's impeachment inquiry hearings, Gordon Sondland. One KATU News Viewer wanted to know why Wheeler didn’t give the money back. Turns out, politicians have a lot of freedom in what they can do with campaign donations in Portland and Oregon.

Oregon Supreme Court justices pepper attorneys with questions about whether the court should uphold a Multnomah County ordinance allowing strict limits on donations.

Wheeler’s campaign announced Nov. 8, 2019 that he won’t enroll in the city’s new public campaign finance program. He is seeking to become Portland's first two-term mayor since Vera Katz.

Rep. Jennifer Williamson (D-Portland) says she’ll go her own way.

The top three Democrats vying for the state’s second-highest office are all planning their own proposals for limiting money. 

The weak investigation into allegations of illegal campaign finance activity by former Rep. Deborah Boone show that not only is the elections division unable to enforce laws that currently exist, but it may not be able to handle campaign contribution limits that Oregonians want to enact. Although the secretary of state's office has made some changes, other reforms are needed as well.

The Secretary of State’s office said Tuesday it will seek to beef up enforcement of Oregon’s campaign finance laws after a report by The Oregonian/OregonLive last week that showed minimal investigation into alleged violations.

Just 600 big donors accounted for nearly 60% of all money given to city campaigns in 2012. The wave of big money that has crashed over US politics since Citizens United has not spared Portland, Oregon,...

State lawmakers put a constitutional amendment on the 2020 ballot with bi-partisan support.

Campaign donors expect their money to be spent getting candidates elected. The wrinkle is, it's unusual for candidates to pay themselves in the process.

When elected officials provided their statements of economic interest to the Oregon Government Ethics Commission last month, the filing for Rep. Mike Schaufler (D-Happy Valley) included one unusual,Politics