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Initiative, Referral and Referendum Process

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Background Brief on … Initiative, September 2012 Referral Inside this Brief and The Initiative Referendum The Referral The Referendum Process History of Initiative, Referral Since 1902, the Oregon Constitution has and Referendum in Oregon provided voters with three methods of directly affecting changes to the Oregon Revised Differences in the Initiative Statutes and the Oregon Constitution: the initiative, the referral and the referendum. While and Referendum Process they differ somewhat in the process of getting to Between States the ballot, the initiative, referral and referendum place the ultimate authority to change the law in Ballot Titles and Committee the hands of the people. Statements The Initiative Citizens’ Initiative Review The initiative process gives direct legislative Commission and Citizen power to the voters to enact new laws, change existing laws, or amend the Oregon Panels Constitution. Any person may be a chief petitioner of an initiative petition. Chief Staff and Agency Contacts petitioners are the individuals who sponsor initiatives, and an initiative may have up to three Additional Resources chief petitioners. For an initiative to qualify for the next regularly scheduled General Election (the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November in even- numbered years), chief petitioners must receive Legislative Committee Services written approval from the Secretary of State to State Capitol Building circulate signature sheets in order to collect Salem, Oregon 97301 signatures from registered voters. (503) 986-1813 Background Brief - Legislative Committee Services Page 1 of 4 Chief petitioners must then obtain the necessary Assembly declares are necessary for the number of valid signatures and submit them to immediate preservation of the public peace, the Secretary of State no later than four months health, or safety and the support of state prior to the date of the next regularly scheduled government and its existing institutions. Acts General Election. with emergency clauses typically have effective dates earlier than other legislation. Article IV, Section 1 of the Oregon Constitution establishes the number of signatures that must be Any person may become a chief petitioner of a gathered in order to qualify for the ballot is the referendum petition. Chief petitioners are the number of votes cast for Governor during the individuals who sponsor referenda and a most recent gubernatorial election – six percent referendum may have up to three chief for statutory amendments and eight percent for petitioners. constitutional amendments. The total vote count for the November 2010 General Election was For a referendum to qualify for the next 1,453,548. To place an initiative on the regularly scheduled General Election, chief November 2012 General Election ballot, the petitioners must receive written approval from chief petitioners will be required to gather the Secretary of State to circulate the text of the 87,213 valid signatures for a measure that Act among registered voters. Chief petitioners amends the Oregon Revised Statutes, or 116,284 must then obtain the necessary number of valid valid signatures for a measure that amends the signatures and submit them to the Secretary of Oregon Constitution. The required number of State no later than 90 days after the Legislature signatures for the 2016 and 2018 cycles will not adjourns. be determined until after the 2014 General Election. The Constitution also sets the number of signatures required to qualify a referendum to The Referral the ballot at four percent of the number of votes The referral process gives voters the opportunity cast during the most recent gubernatorial to decide on Constitutional or statutory changes election. To place a referendum on the proposed by the Oregon Legislature. If both the November 2012 General Election ballot, chief Oregon House of Representatives and the Senate petitioners are required to gather 58,141 valid vote to send a measure to the state ballot, the signatures. The required number of signatures measure is not subject to the Governor’s veto for the 2016 and 2018 cycles will not be power. determined until after the 2014 General Election. The chief petitioners of a legislative referral are History of Initiative, Referral and members of the Legislative Assembly, one Referendum in Oregon Senator and one Representative. The Legislative In 1902, 91 percent of voters approved an Assembly may also appoint members to a Joint amendment to the Oregon Constitution to allow Committee to draft an argument in support of for the initiative and referendum process. As of the measure. The Joint Committee for an July 2012, the people have passed 120 of 352 Argument in Support is composed of one initiative measures on the ballot and 23 of 64 Senator and two Representatives. The Argument referenda on the ballot. During the same period, in Support is not subject to legal challenge. the legislature has referred 424 measures to the people, of which 249 have passed. The Referendum The referendum process allows voters the Differences in the Initiative and opportunity to reject legislation (Acts) adopted Referendum Process between States by the Oregon Legislature. The only Acts Oregon is one of 27 states that have an initiative exempt from a referendum are those with an process. Other states with an initiative process emergency clause – Acts that the Legislative are: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Background Brief - Legislative Committee Services Page 2 of 4 Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, after the public comment period, the voter may Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, petition the Supreme Court for review. Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Legislative referrals may also have ballot titles Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, drafted and certified by the Attorney General, or Washington, Wyoming, and U.S. Virgin Islands. the Legislative Assembly may submit its own Some notable differences between states’ laws draft ballot title. are: Alaska, Idaho, Maine, Utah, Washington, Once a measure has been submitted for signature and Wyoming only allow for initiatives that verification, an explanatory statement committee amend statute. is formed to draft an impartial statement that is Florida, Illinois, and Mississippi only allow 500 words or less and easy to understand to for initiatives that amend their constitutions. explain the measure. The Committee is Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, composed of two members appointed by the Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, Montana, chief petitioners, two members appointed by the Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Secretary of State who are opponents of the Oregon, and South Dakota have direct measure, and one member selected by the other initiative processes where proposals that four members. For a Legislative Referral, the qualify go directly to the ballot. proponents are one Senator and one Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Representative. The explanatory statement is Mississippi, Nevada, Ohio, Utah, included in the voters’ pamphlet. Washington, Wyoming, and U.S. Virgin Islands have indirect or partially indirect Each measure is also analyzed by the Financial initiative processes where some or all Estimate Committee. The Committee is proposals must be submitted to the composed of the Secretary of State, the Director legislature first. of the Department of Administrative Services, Some states have a waiting period, ranging the Director of Revenue, the state Treasurer, and from three to five years, for re-filing a a local government representative. It is charged defeated initiative. with determining the financial impact of each measure and drafting a statement describing the The percentage of voters’ signatures required to impact. If the Committee determines the qualify an initiative to the ballot varies by state, financial impact is greater than $100,000, it may some states have a geographic disbursement also draft an impartial 500 word statement restriction on the number of signatures required explaining the financial impact of the measure. from counties or congressional districts. The financial estimate statement is published with the ballot measure. Ballot Titles and Committee Statements Citizens’ Initiative Review A petitioner for referendum or initiative Commission and Citizen Panels measures must file prospective petitions with the In 2011, House Bill 2634 established the Secretary of State, who then sends the Citizens’ Initiative Review Commission and prospective petitions to the Attorney General. citizen panels. The Commission is composed of The Attorney General creates a draft ballot title 11 members: three members who have served in for each measure, which is then open to written a prior capacity as an impartial fifth member of public comment. If no comments are received on an explanatory statement committee, four a draft title, the Attorney General may certify the members who have served in a prior capacity as title. If public comments are received, however, moderators of a citizen panel, and four electors the Attorney General may choose whether to who have served on a prior citizen panel. incorporate the comments or not. If a voter has Panels are composed of 18 to 24 members who submitted comments on a draft title but is reflect the demographics of voters in the state in dissatisfied with the Attorney General’s title regards to regional location, political party Background Brief - Legislative Committee Services Page 3 of 4 affiliation,
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