Senator Walker Wins Lilburne Award for Defending Rights of Oregon Voters
Tue, Jun 30 2009 by Brandon W Holmes
Citizens In Charge [1]
(LAKE RIDGE, VA) – Citizens in Charge Foundation, a transpartisan national voter rights group focused on the ballot initiative and referendum process, presented Oregon State Senator Vicki Walker with the July 2009 John Lilburne Award. Senator Walker is being recognized as the only Senate Democrat to defend Oregon voters in an attempt to stop legislation that criminalizes activists expressing their freedom of speech via the ballot initiative process. “Senator Walker bravely stood up for the rights of Oregon voters and against special interests by voting no on House Bill 2005,” said Paul Jacob, President of Citizens in Charge Foundation. “This legislation is a blatant attempt to hamper and obstruct the petition process and citizen initiatives. Thanks to Senator Walker for speaking out against HB 2005, more voters are now discovering the dangerous impact of this legislation.” Oregon House Bill 2005 would fine leaders of a citizen initiative campaign $10,000 if anyone working on the campaign is found to have committed fraud in the process of gathering signatures. Sen. Walker objected to the bill because she feared it would frighten citizens away from proposing initiatives, remarking that this legislation “would scare the heebie-jeebies out of me.”
Sen. Walker is a Democrat from Oregon’s 7th District. She served in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1998 until 2002, and was then elected to the Oregon State Senate. She has served as the Chair of the Education and General Government Committee as well as the Chair of the Senate Interim Committee on Natural Resources and Alternative Energy. She currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Natural Resources.
Each month, Citizens in Charge Foundation presents the John Lilburne Award to a citizen, or citizens, working to protect and defend the First Amendment petition rights of Americans. John Lilburne was a 17th Century English pamphleteer, political activist, and champion of individual rights who advocated constitutional government and pioneered the use of petitioning and referenda for redress against government power and abuse.
About Citizens In Charge Foundation: Citizens in Charge Foundation is a national transpartisan voter rights group dedicated to protecting and expanding the ballot initiative and referendum process. We believe good government starts with the voter. For more information visit us www.CitizensInCharge.org.