Oregon voters overwhelmingly rejected Measure 30 in a special election Tuesday, triggering about $544 million in cuts to education, healthcare and social services.
The intensely disputed measure failed as of press time, with 577,630 “no” votes and 358,140 “yes” votes, according to uncertified county ballot counts with all but Sherman and Grant counties reporting.
In Lane County, about 60,000 voters rejected the measure, while more than 58,000 supported it, as of press time.
Students may feel the heat of the measure’s failure in the coming months due to the nearly $7.5 million in higher education funds that will be cut, with a potential for further program reductions and tuition increases, according to the Oregon University System.
Although the University was able to dedicate monetary aid for some of the neediest students after Measure 28 — a similar tax measure — failed last year, it is unclear whether that will be possible this year, especially given the lack of funding the University currently faces.
In the face of potential budget cuts, the hotly debated tax measure — which sought to generate $1.2 billion through increases in income taxes and other business taxes, the highest tax increase in the state’s history — garnered mixed reactions as its fate became apparent Tuesday night.
“I’m disappointed because it impacts higher education as well as many state services,” University President Dave Frohnmayer said.
Taking into account scheduled cuts, Frohnmayer said the state would now be supporting only 14 percent of the University’s budget. Despite the shortfalls, Frohnmayer said the administration has no plans to institute another tuition surcharge for the rest of this school year.
State Representative Phil Barnhart, D-Eugene, said he was also disappointed by the election results.
“We knew that it was an uphill battle,” he said, adding that many of the measure’s opponents said some “outrageous things.”
“Many voters were taken in by people who had very simple and very wrong messages,” he said.
Barnhart said the state would face cuts in various departments, and in the long run the measure’s failure is more likely to hurt the economy than help it.
He said the next step is to continue building the economy and educating voters on what the real issues are.
“We also need to get to work on tax-reform issues,” he said.
Other groups rejoiced the majority of voters’ decision to reject the measure.
Republican Party of Lane County’s Chairman Bob Avery said he was very excited about the results.
“We believe firmly that the people of Oregon deserve a chance to speak their mind and no means no,” Avery said, adding that it was time for the government to live within its means.
Libertarian Party of Oregon Executive Director Richard Burke had similar sentiments.
“What the voters are telling our government is that they do not trust them with more money,” he said. “People don’t believe the government is spending money well.”
He said there is a need for structural changes within the government, and that voters want neither cuts nor higher taxes; they want more efficient spending.
“We’re proud of the people of Oregon for not allowing themselves to be blackmailed,” he said. He added that he thinks the Oregon Legislature needs to go back into a special session to reprioritize spending allocations and find alternative ways to generate income.
With the measure’s failure, State Treasurer Randall Edwards said in a statement that he would do all he can, in collaboration with the governor and the Legislature, to restore the state’s “financial strength and integrity” and ensure Oregonians get access to important services.
“One thing we cannot do is turn to long-term borrowing to address the shortfall in the state budget,” he said in the statement.