One thing left utterly undone: campaign finance reform
This year’s 160-day Oregon legislative session featured a 42-day walkout by conservative senators, all Republican except our own Brian Boquist, a longtime Republican ...
One thing left utterly undone: campaign finance reform
This year’s 160-day Oregon legislative session featured a 42-day walkout by conservative senators, all Republican except our own Brian Boquist, a longtime Republican ...
State attorneys produced objections, but no documents, by the June 21 deadline for five federal grand jury subpoenas requesting state documents relating to La Mota and Shemia Fagan.
Supporters of an initiative to create nonpartisan open primaries and establish ranked-choice voting announced Monday they intend to sue Attorney General Raúl Labrador over his ballot titles for the initiative.
Nancy Jacobson, No Labels CEO, has an L.A. Times opinion piece attacking two-party “duopoly” and defending its plans for a potential third-party presidential bid. One bit of news in the column: it goes further than Ben Chavis said yesterday in … Continue reading No Labels defends its plans →
"Joe Biden May Face Two Spoiler Candidates in 2024" #ELB
Jonathan Chait in the Intelligencer, discussing the twin threats to Biden from Cornel West and No Labels. Interesting comparison at the end of the piece to Truman in 1948, who also faced splintering from two different sides: Strom Thurmond as … Continue reading “Joe Biden May Face Two Spoiler Candidates in 2024” →
"No Labels declines to reveal just who is funding its third party bid" #ELB
POLITICO: “The centrist group consists of a constellation of entities, some of which disclose donor names. But the main one is a nonprofit which, unlike political parties, does not have to reveal the names of its funders. And in an … Continue reading “No Labels declines to reveal just who is funding its third party bid” →
"A Mysteriously Financed Group That Could Upend a Biden-Trump Rematch" #ELB
Julie Bykowicz for WSJ: The 13-year-old nonprofit group, which has a $70 million budget, has qualified for the ballot in Arizona, Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Utah and is pursuing access elsewhere. Arizona Democrats are suing to kick No Labels off the … Continue reading “A Mysteriously Financed Group That Could Upend a Biden-Trump Rematch” →
Opinion: A way to solve legislative walkouts once and for all
Most every other state in the country requires only a simple majority of lawmakers be present in order to conduct legislative business, write Reps. David Gomberg and Khanh Pham. It's time that Oregon lower its quorum requirement as well and prevent legislative walkouts for good.
Editorial: Campaign finance reform takes a back seat, again
Despite headlines over the past several months showing why campaign contribution limits are so critical, legislators have been unable to pass a bill with robust, fair caps, the editorial board writes. Legislators need to focus on such a bill for the February short session, or voters will have to do it for them.
Here are the Oregon local, county and state candidates and PACs owners of La Mota have donated to
The owners of the marijuana business that hired Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan to do consulting work made significant campaign contributions to the secretary – and other Democratic candidat…
Ranked-choice voting could come to Oregon, if voters say yes in 2024
In November 2024, voters will decide whether to use ranked choice voting in races after January 1, 2028 for president, seats in Congress, governor, Oregon secretary of state and some others.
Ranked-choice voting could come to Oregon, if voters say yes in 2024
In November 2024, voters will decide whether to use ranked choice voting in races after January 1, 2028 for president, seats in Congress, governor, Oregon secretary of state and some others.
Oregon legislative proposal would expand voter rolls – Oregon Capital Chronicle
If you vote in Oregon, you’re probably accustomed to a relatively convenient, accessible voting process, giving Oregon one of the highest voter participation rates of any state in the country. Such an achievement didn’t happen overnight. It’s been long in the making. But there is more work to be done. This session the Legislature is […]
Defying pledges to limit campaign contributions, Oregon lawmakers again fail to do so
House Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, convened a group of Democratic lawmakers this spring to hammer out limits on political spending. But Tony Lapiz, Rayfield’s legislative director, told a House committee June 8 that the legislators couldn’t agree on a proposal during that process.
In a political landscape dominated by two major parties, many people often overlook the choice to vote for a third party. However, third-party voting offers a valuable opportunity to challenge the status quo and bring fresh perspectives.
Open Primary vs. Closed Primary: Exploring Different Primary Election Systems
Open primaries allow voters to choose any party's primary, while closed primaries restrict participation to registered party members. Open primaries have higher turnout but face concerns of strategic voting, while closed primaries preserve party ideology.
Why local-level offices need independent candidates
City governments are not just where Americans feel the most impact of government on their daily lives – they’re the last line of defense against hyper-partisanship. A recent piece in The New York Times revealed a sign of increasing tensions to come: Swing state legislatures this session have passed increasingly partisan agendas without mandates. Local governments, generally non-partisan, are where we can reverse this trend and govern by consensus.
Portland City Council members, other top leaders could see big raises
A draft proposal by the five-person salary commission proposes a pay hike for officials elected to Portland’s new form of government in 2025, which will expand the size of City Council from four to 12 members.
Portland City Council mulls expanding city’s campaign finance program
Portland leaders will consider updating the city’s publicly-funded campaign finance program Wednesday in preparation for an unprecedented 2024 election.
States are Making it Harder for Ballot Initiatives to Pass
Attacks on state-level ballot initiatives are the latest step in a strategy to wrest political power from voters and place it squarely in the hands of increasingly unaccountable politicians and special interests.