Oregon Action

Voter-Owned Elections ...

Oregon Action believes that a truly democratic election system requires access, accountablity and participation. Voter-owned elections, elections that are publicly financed, open the doors to political access by eliminating the unspoken requirement that people contribute in order to be heard, increase accountability to the electorate, instead of to the contritbutors and increase participation by allowing people who have the community leadership and experience to run for office compete on a level playing field against candidates whose greatest qualification is their ability to raise money.

We are proud of our successful campaign to pass a Voter-Owned Elections ordinance in Porltand — and leaders have provided strong testimony at public hearings attesting to the urgency of opening up the political process.

Defending Voter-Owned Elections

Since the passage of Portland's Voter-Owned Elections system, corporate interests who liked what they called the "pay to play" system in their own testimony are trying to restore the old system of contributor influence in City Hall by referring the new public-financing system to the May election ballot. They are currently collecting signatures.

At April's hearing on Voter-Owned Elections, Commissioner Sam Adams said, "Foregoing just one unnecessary tax abatement could more than pay for the costs of this reform." However, it is those tax abatements and other advantages that the old system gave to campaign contributors — not their public concern for police, fire and school funding — that is driving their expenditure of tens of thousands of dollars to repeal the voter-owned system. For a look at how they profit from the current system, click here.

You can make a difference...

Refuse to sign the petition. Tell your friends and family not to sign. Inform them that this is not takig money from schools, fire and police and that a $6.8 million tax break given to just one of the system's opponents would pay for nearly 7 elections under this system. Contact our Portland office and volunteer to help defeat the repeal.

For a long list of articles and letters to the editor, see the Money in Politics Research Action Project.

OA Leaders and Staff on Voter-Owned Elections