What to know about referendums, referrals and initiatives in Oregon
Oregon has a long history of citizen involvement through initiatives and referendums. Here’s what to know about referendums, referrals and initiatives.
A controversial petition that would criminalize hunting and fishing in Oregon will not be on the ballot in November after the Secretary of State’s Office determined backers did not collect enough valid signatures.
The office confirmed on July 24 that it did not verify enough signatures for Initiative Petition 28 to be included on the November ballot.
The official determination follows two rounds of signature verification by office staff.
Backers submitted more than 142,000 signatures, exceeding the required 117,173 signatures. Of those, the Secretary of State’s office said 104,262 were valid.
If enacted, the petition would have had significant economic impacts and radically change recreation in Oregon.
IP28, also referred to as the People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions (PEACE) Act, updates the state’s animal cruelty laws.
Under the proposal, killing an animal would be counted as animal abuse unless it was to prevent immediate harm to a person or another animal.
It also removes exceptions for “good animal husbandry” and would classify some breeding methods as sexual assault of an animal.
People found to have committed animal abuse under the new definition would have to complete community service caring for animals and not be allowed to own any animals for a set amount of time, depending on the severity.
To try and balance the impacts of the changes, IP 28 also called for a “Humane Transition Fund” and oversight council to aid with economic challenges, food shortages and animal care.
IP28 slammed by Oregon Democrats, Republicans as poor choice for state
Initiative Petition 28 has been broadly panned by Oregon politicians and organizations.
All 37 House Democrats released a statement against IP 28, as has U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and numerous organizations, including the Oregon Farm Bureau, Oregon Veterinary Medical Association and the Oregon Hunters Association.
Gov. Tina Kotek has spoken against the proposal, saying “criminalizing activities like hunting and fishing would be wrong for Oregon.”
Her competitor in the upcoming governor’s race, Sen. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, also slammed it as “an all out assault on Oregonians’ way of life pushed by Tina Kotek’s allies,” despite Kotek’s opposition.
In a July 24 statement, Kotek said she was “relieved” the initiative did not make the ballot.
“I know from conversations with Oregonians across the state that this measure would have done nothing to help them,” she said.
Its backers freely admit they did not expect voters to approve the petition but wanted to get people talking about animal cruelty in the hopes that change can be made in the future.
Petitioner David Michelson told the Statesman Journal in May that backers believed the group was able to collect so many signatures because Oregonians are interested in having that conversation, even if they may not support the proposal itself.
The petition is Michelson’s third attempt in recent years to get the issue on the ballot.
Anastasia Mason covers state government for the Statesman Journal. Reach her at [email protected] or 971-208-5615.
