Senate May Eliminate Double Majority Protection

The Senate Finance Committee heard two bills dealing with scaling back Oregon’s double majority law. Here is the Taxpayer Association testimony:

NO on SJR 10
Voters have affirmed the double majority three times.
Voters want simplicity, predictability — not surprise tax elections.

Double Majority provides predictability
The double majority law helps to provide a predictable timetable for when taxpayers should expect tax increases. If government is going to bring forth unpredictable tax measures, it should at least be an election where most of the voters show up.

Low voter turn-out is often a government result
Low voter-turn out is a phenomenon that occurs primarily when you hold elections outside of the expected general election. We should be building our democracy around voters’ needs and strengths, not taking advantage of their weaknesses.

Double majority is a quorum
Double majority is like a quorum, afor which all governmental bodies have to abide by it. It then makes sense for the state’s largest governing body — the electorate — to follow the same quorum rules.

Double majority prevents government abuse
Before the double majority law was enacted, taxpayers complained of having to reject the same tax over and over. Property taxes could be easily be re-submitted endlessly until you wear out the voter and gamble on a random result in your favor. The double majority helps protect taxpayers from this type of government abuse.