Oregon voters pass measures to strengthen democracy 

Portland, OR – As voters wait and watch for Oregon’s final election results, several key takeaways are emerging. Though final election results won’t be known for days, or even weeks, Oregonians can celebrate another secure and accessible voting period and Election Day. Oregon election administrators overcame odds to make this a reality, as did thousands of volunteers with the national, nonpartisan Election Protection Coalition, comprised of Common Cause and over 300 partner organizations. Even with our strong election system, voters should know that Oregon is not immune from the anti-democracy, election-denying organizing taking place around the country, which could also occur in our state in the coming days and months.

Statement of Kate Titus, Executive Director of Common Cause Oregon: 

“Thanks to all of our election workers, Oregon voters were once again able to securely and accessibly cast our ballots to decide the future direction of our communities. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to these democracy superheroes. 

Other players who were instrumental to keeping Oregon’s election secure and accessible were the thousands of volunteers who served as part of our national, nonpartisan Election Protection Coalition who managed a multilingual voter hotline, troubleshot problems, provided legal support to voters, and monitored and addressed election disinformation in real-time.

Democracy stands strong in our great state, but Oregon is not immune to the anti-democracy organizing happening nationwide. Attempts to undermine elections are ongoing and likely to play out in the coming weeks and months. 

This election, Oregon saw the spread of false narratives intended to sow distrust in our election system, like targeted disinformation aimed at suppressing voter participation, and even threats of violence. We saw vigilante activists door-knocking and aggressively questioning voters, as well as monitoring official ballot drop sites – activities that can intimidate voters or be used to drum up false claims of voter fraud. Oregon election workers were barraged by public records requests this year and even faced legal threats for doing their job. 

Despite the challenges we’ve seen, the Oregon electorate stood strong and turned out. Oregon election workers were able to overcome the obstacles, helping voters across the state cast their ballots in spite of barriers. 

Oregon voters passed all three ballot measures endorsed by Common Cause Oregon, for their ability to strengthen our democracy. These include two statewide and one local measure:

• Measure 112, which eliminates language in our state’s constitution that currently allows slavery & involuntary servitude to be used as punishment for crime
• Measure 113, which disqualifies representatives with 10 or more unexcused no-shows from holding office in the next term
• Measure 26-230, which amends the Portland Charter to achieve more equitable representation and professionalized city management.