PETITION 9 TO GET BIG MONEY OUT OF OREGON POLITICS
Initiative Petition 9 (for the November 2024 ballot) limits campaign money, requires that political spenders identify their real sources of money and list those sources on their advertisements.
Oregon voters by a margin of 78% to 22% in 2020 called on the government to adopt limits on campaign contributions and to show voters where political money is really coming from. The Oregon Legislature has not done that. So We the People must act.
Major Provisions of Initiative Petition 9 (2024):
1. Contribution Limits
- Limits contributions to candidates, political committees ("PACs") and political parties to support or oppose any candidate for state or local government office
- Bans such contributions by for-profit corporations
- Individuals and political committees (“PACs”) may contribute:
- $2,000 to candidate for statewide office
- $1,000 to candidate for any other state office
- $500 to candidate for local government office
- Small Donor Committees, funded only by contributions of $250 per year or less from individuals, may contribute:
- $20,000 to candidate for statewide office
- $10,000 to candidate for any other state office
- $5,000 to candidate for local government office
- Prohibits any person or entity from creating or controlling multiple entities for purposes of increasing allowable contributions
2. Shining a Light on Dark Money
- Large campaign contributors or independent spenders who receive at least $5,000 from at least one source to fund political advertisements (for or against candidates or measures) must identify on ORESTAR each source providing over $5,000 per year for that purpose.
- High cost political advertisements must names the 4 largest contributors of at least $5,000 each to the campaign or committee or independent spender paying for the advertisement.
- Any person or entity spending more than $1,000 per year in independent expenditures must report its contributors for spending on political advertising on ORESTAR.
- Large contributions and independent expenditures ($10,000 or more) must be reported to ORESTAR much faster than now.
- Placement of anonymous advertising by dark money groups to support or oppose candidates or measures or parties is prohibited.
- Removes exception in Oregon bribery laws that legalizes bribery with campaign contributions.
- Limits candidates' carry-over of funds from one election to another, so incumbents cannot amass war chests of money that discourage other candidates.
- Requires more campaign finance information in printed and online Voters' Pamphlets.
- Increases penalties for campaign finance violations.
- Modifies system for enforcement of campaign finance violations so that final decisions (including "no violation" decisions) are not made by partisan elected officials without judicial review.
- Requires incumbents to file their candidacies 7 days earlier than other candidates, so incumbents cannot effectively bequeath their offices to their friends.