Editorials

Opinion: The 2024 Oregon legislative short session brought many historic wins for the state, including limits on campaign finance reform and increasing transparency within electoral donations

What a difference a year makes. Last year, rancor ruled throughout the 160 days set aside for odd-year legislative sessions in Oregon. Senate Republicans staged a walkout ...

The Oregon state legislative session wrapped up last week, and compared to past years that were mired by walkouts, it’s fair to say that a lot got done

The short session produced breakthrough legislation on housing, the drug addiction crisis and campaign finance reform, the editorial board writes. It also showed a winning formula for how the Legislature can get things done.

Backers of a campaign finance reform initiative have the political winds at their back as they try to get their measure on the ballot.

Oregon is one of five states where basically anything goes in campaign finance. There are no limits on what a candidate can accept from a corporation, an individual, a political

Legislators say they want to pass campaign contribution limits this session, the editorial board writes. If so, any bill should provide true reforms – not cement in place advantages for their big donors.

Oregon is one of five states that doesn’t regulate the campaign finance money that comes pouring into state and local races.

Letter to the editor

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.

Letter to the editor

As the Eugene School District 4J election wraps up, so does the campaign spending. Lawn signs are slowly being taken out of yards, and advertisements on Facebook and in local newspapers have stoppe…

While Oregonians have shown many times that they want campaign finance reform, House Bill 2714 - which concentrates the power to make large or unlimited donations in the hands of far fewer entities - isn't the answer.

The current version of House Bill 2680, which would set campaign finance limits, has too many flaws and loopholes embedded in it to do anything to alter the influence of big money in Oregon politics, the editorial board writes. Legislators should ditch HB 2680, revive the more straightforward HB 3343 instead and enact the kinds of limits that Oregonians want.

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.

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 ...