[CFR-Announce] COURT REJECTS ACLU LAWSUIT TO DERAIL OREGON CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM INITIATIVE

[Dan Meek]

Money is Not Democracy

www.fairelections.net

democracy at voters.net <mailto:democracy at voters.net>

	

Daniel Meek, attorney

10949 S.W. 4th Avenue

Portland, OR 97219

	

(503) 293-9021

(503) 293-9099 fax

dan at meek.net

 

 February 14, 2005

 

COURT REJECTS ACLU LAWSUIT TO DERAIL OREGON CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM 
INITIATIVE

 

The Marion County Circuit Court has rejected a lawsuit filed by the 
director of the Oregon Chapter of the ACLU and an employee of the group, 
seeking to prevent supporters of campaign finance reform in Oregon from 
collecting signatures on Initiative Petition No. 8, which is ready to be 
circulated.

 

"The ACLU in Oregon views stopping campaign finance reform as part of 
its job," said attorney Dan Meek, whose arguments prevailed in court. 
The Oregon ACLU also filed lawsuits to prevent collection of signatures 
on campaign finance reform initiatives in 2002, which ACLU also lost, 
after having imposed litigation costs on supporters and delayed the 
signature collection effort for several months. "I do not expect the 
ACLU to let another court order stop them," said Meek, predicting that 
ACLU would appeal the court decision to the Oregon Court of Appeals and 
from there to the Oregon Supreme Court.

 

"I suspect that most rank-and-file supporters of the ACLU do not agree 
with the Oregon chapter's position that `money equals speech,' 
particularly corporate speech," said Salvador Peralta, a dues-paying 
member of the ACLU who is active in supporting Petition #8. "An 
organization I am supporting should not be doing the work of the 
corporations by attacking campaign finance reform."

 

Initiative Petition No. 8 is a very short, one-sentence amendment to the 
Oregon Constitution, which would allow the enactment of limits on 
political campaign contributions and expenditures in Oregon, either by 
the people using the initiative process or by a 3/4 vote of both houses 
of the Oregon Legislature:

 

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Constitution, the people 
through the initiative process, or the Legislative Assembly by a 
three-fourths vote of both Houses, may enact and amend laws to prohibit 
or limit contributions and expenditures, of any type or description, to 
influence the outcome of any election.

 

This would enable the people, using the initiative process, to enact 
strict limits and prevent a simple majority of the Legislature from 
changing those limits (as occurred in Ohio in December 2004, when a 
special session there increased the limits on contributions in Ohio by a 
factor of four, by votes of less than 3/4 in each house). In 1997, the 
Oregon Supreme Court ruled that there can be no limits on political 
contributions or expenditures in Oregon, without an amendment to the 
Oregon Constitution.

 

"When it comes to campaign finance reform, Oregon is dead last," said 
Harry Lonsdale, a supporter of Initiative Petition #8. "Oregon has no 
limits on political campaign contributions for any state or local race. 
None!"

 

The result is that corporations dominate politics in Oregon. They 
outspend labor unions by 5-1 and massively outspend all other groups and 
causes put together, including those for more healthcare, environmental 
protection, human and civil rights, decent and living wage jobs for all, 
consumer protection, and sufficient funding for education and other needs.

 

The text of the court decision is available at:

 

http://www.fairelections.net/mariondecision.pdf 
<http://www.fairelections.net>

 

For more information, see http://www.fairelections.net

 

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