Elections
Oregon activists file 2028 ballot measure to bar corporate election spending
PN Team • 2 months ago
A group of Oregon good-government advocates has filed an initiative petition aiming to amend the state constitution and bar corporations, unions, and nonprofits from using treasury funds to influence elections. The chief petitioners, tied to the League of Women Voters of Oregon, Honest Elections Oregon, and Consolidated Oregon Indivisible Network, say the measure would require political spending to be traceable to individual donors, with corporate entities limited to raising money through disclosed political committees or encouraging volunteer efforts.
The proposal is modeled on similar measures in Montana and Hawaii and responds to frustration with the Oregon Legislature, which passed contribution-limit reforms in 2024 only to weaken them this year with what critics call loophole-ridden replacements. Backers cite record-breaking campaign spending in state races and note Oregon leads the nation in per-capita corporate contributions to legislators. The measure, targeting the 2028 ballot, would also indirectly counter effects of the Citizens United ruling by restricting corporate-funded independent expenditures. Organizers now need to gather signatures statewide to qualify for the ballot.
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Sentiment
- Hawaii Hawaii is mentioned only as a model state for similar campaign finance measures, a neutral factual reference.
- Montana Montana is cited neutrally as a precedent for similar legislation.
- Oregon Oregon is the central subject of the article, described factually amid political reform efforts and criticism of legislative loopholes, balancing neutral to mixed portrayal.