Senate votes to erase online petition rights

By Taxpayer Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

The Oregon Senate voted on SB 761 which would strip Oregonians of some of their current rights to use online petitions to help put citizen measures on the ballot.

The Oregonian Editorial Board stated “Initiative bill smacks of voter suppression…It is pure and simple an attempt to hobble Oregon’s vaunted initiative process”

OPB stated a position from Oregon Progressive Party member Dan Meek,“From the political left, Portland lawyer Dan Meek wrote a letter to lawmakers charging that the policy change would effectively destroy the use of electronic petitions.”

It has been legal for nearly a decade for Oregon voters to download Oregon petitions where they can print them on their home printer, sign them and mail them in to the chief petitioner. They are called single -signer online petitions sheets and have allowed voters to participate in democracy — especially disabled and senior voters who are home bound.  SB 761 sets up a roadblock of rules and bureaucracy making accessible use of online petitions a thing of the past.

SB 761 is a shameless attack on direct democracy!

– The politicians are trying to silence the Oregon voter so only THEY, the politicians, get to have say in what you and I can vote on!

– These shameless politicians are trying to void any dissent from voters, and our God given right to petition our own government.

– This is voter suppression.   This is power-mad politicians hijacking direct democracy so only the politicians themselves and the rich and powerful can use the people’s initiative process.

Please call your State Representative 1-800-332-2313 to oppose SB 761.

Please call your State Representative at the Capitol switchboard 1-800-332-2313 and ask to speak to your State Representative (if you do not know who your State Representative is, you can ask the operator at this phone number to help you by providing your address). Once connected tell your State Representative’s office kindly that you oppose SB 761.

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