On May 27, the sponsors of an Oregon ballot initiative to disqualify state legislators from re-election after a legislative walkout submitted 183,942 unverified signatures.
The initiative is a constitutional amendment that would exclude legislators from re-election following the end of their term if they are absent from 10 legislative floor sessions without permission or excuse. In order to qualify for the ballot, sponsors need 149,360 valid signatures, which is equal to 8% of the votes cast for governor in the most recent gubernatorial election.
The chief petitioners of the initiative are Oregon Education Association President Reed Scott-Schwalbach and SEIU503 Local Vice President Andrea Kennedy-Smith. The initiative has been endorsed by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D), Sen. Rob Wagner (D), and AFSCME Council 75. Senate Majority Leader Rob Wagner (D) said, “We haven’t been able to solve this problem legislatively for obvious reasons – they would likely walk out if we tried to refer something. So I’m following the lead of community advocates who have put this proposal forward.”
