Campaign finance requirements for Oregon ballot measures
Groups and individuals involved in ballot measure campaigns in Oregon must adhere to the state's campaign finance laws. These laws regulate the amounts and sources of money given or received for political purposes; in addition, campaign finance laws stipulate disclosure requirements for political contributions and expenditures.
Proponents of more stringent regulations and disclosure requirements, such as the Brennan Center for Justice, claim that current laws do not go far enough to mitigate corruption and the influence of undisclosed special interests. Others, such as the Institute for Free Speech, argue that strict disclosure requirements and contribution limits impinge upon the rights to privacy and free expression.[1][2]
| Oregon law defines all groups whose purpose is to support or oppose a ballot measure as political committees. Oregon has no law limiting contributions to groups that support or oppose ballot measure. |
The laws and regulations that apply to ballot measure campaigns may differ from those that apply to candidates for political office. To learn more about campaign finance requirements for candidates, see this article.
Oregon ballot measures
- See also: Ballot measure
A ballot measure is any question or issue that appears on an election ballot to be approved or rejected by voters. In 26 states, plus Washington, D.C., citizens may use the initiative and referendum process, which permits citizens to petition to place measures on the ballot and usually involves a signature collection process of some kind. Even in states without initiative and referendum processes, however, ballot measures exist. In all states, citizens may be asked to approve legislatively referred constitutional amendments, state statutes, bond issues or tax proposals.
In Oregon, ballot measures come in five forms: legislatively referred state statutes, initiated state statutes, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, initiated constitutional amendments, and veto referenda.
Organizational requirements
Oregon law defines all groups whose purpose is to support or oppose a ballot measure as political committees. A committee must appoint a treasurer and file a statement of organization no later than three days after receiving a contribution or making an expenditure. The committee must have a single account at a bank or credit union in Oregon, with the name on the account matching the full name of the committee.[3][4]
Contribution limits
Oregon has no law limiting contributions to groups that support or oppose a ballot measure. All contributions received must be deposited in the committee's account within seven days. Anonymous contributions are not allowed, and any anonymous contribution received by a committee must be donated to an organization that can legally accept anonymous contributions.[4][5]
Reporting requirements
Oregon uses a real-time reporting system, with every transaction having its own filing deadline. ORESTAR, Oregon's online finance reporting system, will automatically calculate report due dates for transactions entered. A report is due not later than 12 midnight on the day of the deadline to file a transaction. Generally, a report is due 30 days after the transaction. In a odd numbered year, a report is due no later than 30 calendar days after the date of a transaction. During an even-numbered year, a report is due no later than midnight seven days after a transaction’s occurrence during three specific time frames:[6][7]
- the 42nd day before the date of a primary election and ending on the date of a primary election
- the 42nd day before the date that is four months prior to a general election and ending on the date four months before a general election
- the 42nd day before the date of a general election and ending on the date of a general election
For contributions exceeding $100, a committee must report the name, address and occupation of the donor. Likewise, for expenditures exceeding $100, a committee must disclose the recipient's name and address.
Year-specific reporting dates
2021
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Oregon in 2021.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Oregon, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Transaction date | Filing deadline | |
| January 1, 2021 – January 3, 2021 | 30 days after transaction | |
| January 4, 2021 – January 25, 2021 | February 2, 2021 | |
| January 26, 2021 – March 9, 2021 | 7 days after transaction | |
| March 10, 2021 – March 14, 2021 | 30 days after transaction | |
| March 15, 2021 – April 5, 2021 | April 13, 2021 | |
| April 6, 2021 – May 18, 2021 | 7 days after transaction | |
| May 19, 2021 – July 18, 2021 | 30 days after transaction | |
| July 19, 2021 – August 9, 2021 | August 17, 2021 | |
| August 10, 2021 – November 2, 2021 | 7 days after transaction | |
| November 3, 2021 – December 31, 2021 | 30 days after transaction | |
| Source: Ballotpedia staff writer, "Email correspondence from the Oregon Secretary of State", July 16, 2021 | ||
State agencies
- See also: Campaign finance agencies in Oregon
In Oregon, there is one primary agency involved in campaign finance regulation.
Oregon Secretary of State, Elections Division
- Public Service Building Suite 501
- 255 Capitol St. NE
- Salem, Oregon 97310
- Telephone: (503) 986-1518
- Fax: (503) 373-7414
- Email: elections.sos@state.or.us
Campaign finance legislation
The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Oregon state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.
Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.
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Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Oregon campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in Oregon
- Campaign finance agencies in Oregon
- List of Oregon ballot measures
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Institute for Free Speech, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ Oregon Legislature, "260.035," accessed December 8, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Oregon Legislature, "260.054," accessed December 8, 2015
- ↑ Oregon Legislature, "Election Campaign Finance Regulation," accessed December 8, 2015
- ↑ Oregon Legislature, "260.118(7)," accessed December 8, 2015
- ↑ Oregon Legislature, "260.118(5)," accessed December 8, 2015
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