Pubdate: Sun, 06 Jul 2014
Source: Seattle Times (WA)
Copyright: 2014 The Seattle Times Company
Contact:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/409
Author: Steven Dubois
Page: B6

OREGON VOTERS LIKELY TO DECIDE ON POT, PRIMARIES, FOOD LABELS

PORTLAND (AP) - The deadline for advocates to get their issues before
Oregon voters this November passed last week with no new additions to
a lineup of ballot questions that likely will include the topics of
illegal immigration, marijuana legalization and genetically modified
food.

Initiatives need just over 87,000 valid signatures to qualify for the
November ballot, and measures changing the Oregon Constitution require
116,284 names. The only campaigns to hit those thresholds by
Thursday's deadline used paid signature gatherers.

Elections officials have until Aug. 2 to verify names and decide which
initiatives have enough valid signatures to make the November ballot.
So far, only one initiative has been officially certified - a proposed
equal-rights amendment that would change the state constitution to
prohibit state and local governments from discriminating on the basis
of gender.

The measure was proposed by Leanne Littrell DiLorenzo of Portland. She
and her husband, lawyer and lobbyist John DiLorenzo, contributed most
of the $472,000 spent on the signature-gathering effort.

Another certainty is a referendum on driver cards for Oregonians who
can't prove they're legally in the U.S. The Legislature approved the
quasi-licenses last year, but opponents gathered enough signatures to
suspend the program and put the issue before voters. Referendums,
which allow voters to weigh in on bills adopted by the Legislature,
require 58,142 signatures - far fewer than are required for
initiatives, which allow citizens to bypass the Legislature and go
directly to the ballot with proposed laws.

Advocates submitted more than 140,000 signatures for each of three
other proposals. If the measures are certified, voters would be asked
to legalize recreational marijuana, require the labeling of
genetically modified foods and replace Republican and Democratic party
primaries with a single primary election open to all voters.

Oregonians have previously rejected marijuana and open
primaries.

Ryan Deckert, president of the Oregon Business Association, a lobbying
group that supports open primaries, said the difference this time
around might be the ballot title - often the first thing a voter reads
about an issue. Deckert said the language is much less bureaucratic
than what was presented to voters six years ago.

"This has been very effective in California and Washington in allowing
the fastest-growing political party in America (nonaffiliated voters)
to actually participate in elections," he said of open primaries.

Most proposed ballot measures did not get enough signatures to merit
submission. Some started as high-profile campaigns, such as an effort
by grocers to end Oregon's state liquor monopoly.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt