Oregon Governor Signs Bills to Ease Law on How Parties Remain Qualified

On April 4, Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed SB 1501 and SB 1599. They make it somewhat easier for parties to remain ballot-qualified. Earlier this year the legislature had passed a bill to automatically register every adult citizen known to exist, unless the individual declines. The effect of that bill is to vastly increase the number of registered voters who have not yet chosen to be a registered member of a party. Because parties stay on the ballot if they have a certain share of the voters registered as members, that registration change made it more difficult for parties to qualify. So the new laws change the method of calculating percentages, to exclude those new automatic voters. But the change is only temporary and expires after the 2018 election.


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