Oregon Needs Fair Elections Now
THE PROBLEM
Big Money Runs Oregon
Oregon has no limits on campaign contributions for any state or local election. None!
The result is that corporations dominate politics in Oregon. They outspend labor unions by 5-1 and massively outspend all other groups and causes, including those for better health care, environmental protection, human and civil rights, decent and living wage jobs for all, consumer protection, fair taxes on corporations, less promotion of gambling, and sufficient funding for education and other needs.
Corporations pushed up the total reported spending on political races in Oregon from $4.2 million in 1996 to over $49 million 10 years later - a factor of 12 in 10 years. Candidates for seats in the Oregon Legislature in 1996 spent $3.5 million. By 2004, they spent $18 million. 75% of the money came from only 1% of the contributors. Only 3% of the contributions were in amounts of $50 or less. It now costs over $700,000 to win a contested race for the Oregon State Senate and over $400,000 to win a contested race for the Oregon State House of Representatives.
Big political spenders get what they want from Oregon government. Examples abound:
- Corporations paid 18% of state income taxes in 1975. It's now 4%. 80% of them pay only $10 annually.
- Drug companies defeated bills that would allow the State
to negotiate lower prices for drugs. They could do that, thanks to the $3 million contributed by drug and medical equipment companies in the past 3 election cycles. - Video Poker outlets receive over $100 million in excess commissions every year. Why? The Oregon Restaurant Association has contributed over $1.2 million to Oregon politicians' campaigns in the last 3 cycles.
- Oregon has allowed private electric utilities to charge ratepayers over $1.2 billion for "income taxes" that the utilities never paid.
- Enron/Portland General Electric gave over $500,000 to candidate campaigns, got a $400 million annual rate increase, and since 1997 has charged Oregon ratepayers over $800 million for "income taxes" it never paid.
- Oregon's beer and wine lobby has showered lawmakers with contributions and luxury trips. Click here to find out what they got for their money.
- The politicians and state bureaucrats have even gone so far as to refuse to enforce the limits on campaign contributions Oregonians voted into law in 2006 by statewide initiative.
Many more examples are in the Powerpoint Show available in the left column of this page.
THE SOLUTION!
Join Us and Take Action Now!
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Get Big Money Out of Oregon Politics
Get our detailed response to the incorrect, misleading statements by "Our Oregon"
What Tom Delay did in Texas is perfectly legal in Oregon.
Oregon Legislative candidates who spent the most money won 91% of the time. Corporate contributions are so huge in Oregon that Tom Delay would not even be noticed here. Delay was indicted for moving $190,000 of corporate money into races for the Texas Legislature. Doing that would be legal in Oregon and insignificant, since the corporations have pumped over $20 million into races for the Oregon Legislature in the last two election cycles.
Ore. gov. candidates race to acquire cash
$13 a vote...
"Their big spending on the little city council election, however, will surely add fuel to a grass-roots movement now under way for campaign finance reform in Oregon." —The Oregonian Editorial Board
FAST FACTS / WHY WE NEED REFORMS
- Oregon is one of only three states with no limits on political contributions.
- Corporations outspend labor unions by 5-1 and massively outspend all other groups and causes.
- Corporations pushed up the total reported spending on political races in Oregon from $4.2 million in 1996 to over $49 million 10 years later.
In 2004 legislative races, 75% of money came from 1% of contributors. Only 2% of total contributions were $50 or less.- It now costs over $700,000 to win a contested race for the Oregon State Senate and over $400,000 to win a contested race for the Oregon State House of Representatives. The job pays $19,884 a year (plus diem).
- The difficulty in raising the large sums of money required for campaigns discourages many capable Oregonians from running for office.
Oregon Supreme Court Upholds Law Requiring Truthful Reporting of Sources of Political Contributions
but the unanimous decision does not address whether the current ban on anonymous contributions is valid
The Oregon Supreme Court today issued its opinion in State of Oregon v. Thomas Paul Moyer, in which a person accused of making political contributions in a false name challenged the the constitutionality of Oregon's statute that prohibits any political contribution from being made "in any name other than that of the person who in truth provides the contribution to." ORS 260.402. This law was enacted by voter initiative over 100 years ago and has never before been challenged. Local businessman Tom Moyer was accused by the Multnomah County District Attorney of contributing to a campaign for Mayor of Portland in the names of his relatives and employees.
The opinion is at: http://www.publications.ojd.state.or.us/supreme.htm#apr10
The brief of Amicus Curiae and other briefs are here: http://fairelections.net/court/moyer
Oregon Initiative Process Destroyed
Only a few ballot initiatives look to qualify for Oregon ballot this November
Jeff Mapes, The Oregonian
April 03, 2010
For once, it doesn't look as if Oregon's tax structure will be decided by a ballot measure.
Despite Oregon's long history of turning to direct Democracy to settle political fights, the state's ballot looks to be the most uncrowded in years. With the exception of a measure to expand medical marijuana, the handful of petitions being circulated are mostly minor measures unlikely to set off expensive, multimillion-dollar campaigns.
Campaigns for Oregon Legislature are Most Expensive in America (except for New Jersey)
Oregon's expensive legislative campaigns
By Jeff Mapes, The Oregonian
April 06, 2010
The National Institute on Money in State Politics has a new report confirming what I've heard several times before: Oregon has among the most expensive legislative races in the country.
The non-partisan group issued a new report on the 2008 elections around the country, where fundraising for the first time topped $1 billion for legislative races. Oregon legislative candidates raised an average of nearly $250,000 - almost three times the national average of about $87,000.
Even that figure is deceptively low. Oregon didn't have any real competitive Senate races in 2008, so races in that chamber were unusually inexpensive that year.
If you just look at the House races, candidates in Oregon overall raised more than their counterparts in all but six much larger states: California, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas and Virginia.
When you figure the cost of a House campaign per resident, Oregon is second in the nation. Here's my back-of-the-envelope calculations based on the report:
1. New Jersey.....$4.41 per resident
2. Oregon...........$4.16 per resident
3. Virginia...........$4.00 per resident
4. Illinois.............$3.06 per resident
5. Nevada...........$2.97 per resident
6. Ohio...............$2.88 per resident
It's no mystery why Oregon legislative campaigns are so much more expensive than most states. Oregon is one of just six states with no limits on contributions - and no limits on direct corporate and union giving to campaigns.
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Amendment Drive For 2010
You can put an Oregon constitutional amendment on the 2010 ballot to ensure that the political contribution limits we Oregon voters passed in 2006 will get enforced. [Learn More]
Oregon House Committee Hears Ineffective Reform Bill
The Committee on Rules of the Oregon House of Representatives on April 17, 2009, conducted a short hearing on HB 3009, a bill to establish some limits on political campaign contributions in Oregon candidate races.
Dan Meek, representing FairElections Oregon, testified against the bill, noting that it would repeal the much stronger limits adopted by Oregon voters in Measure 47 (2006). He also filed charts (attached) illustrating the differences among the the “current system,” the Measure 47 system, and the proposed HB 3009 system.
