We urge you to vote yes on Measure 26, which will prohibit paying petition gatherers by the signature. Oregonians need to protect the integrity of their ballot measure system.
There have been widespread allegations that paid-by-signature petitioners have forged signatures on petitions and that signature lists have been traded for money, drugs and sex, which can deter voters from signing petitions in the future. This has led to a number of measures being disqualified for the ballot this year, eroding public trust in the system.
Earlier this year in an interview with a Portland television station, anti-tax initiative maven Bill Sizemore threw up his hands and said that he doesn’t have any control over what his petition gatherers do. This has to stop.
It has been enshrined in federal, state and local law that votes cannot be bought — it’s called bribery. It’s high time to extend that definition to petitions. People have an expectation that when they sign a petition it is for that particular measure and not for others.
Measure 26 will not affect the richness of Oregon ballot measures or the ability of groups to put initiatives on the ballot. Unpaid volunteers and even those paid by the hour will still be able to solicit signatures for measures and candidates.
Instead, this measure prevents a layer of fraud that has been laid on our excellent system in recent years.