The Oregon Supreme Court ruled that nine Republican state senators and one independent who participated in a legislative walkout in May 2023 could not seek re-election under Measure 113—a 2022 ballot initiative that makes legislators ineligible to be re-elected to a subsequent term if they accrue 10 or more unexcused absences.
On May 3, 2023, all but two members of the Republican Senate caucus were absent from the legislative session, preventing a quorum. The walkout ended 43 days later, on June 15, making it the longest in state history. The next-longest walkout lasted nine days in 2019.
Measure 113 was a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment approved with 68.3% of the vote. At the time of the election, the state constitution authorized legislative chambers to punish disorderly conduct, including legislative absenteeism, with a two-thirds supermajority vote. Punishment could include the expulsion of a member.
