Oregonian Article on Labor Union Campaign Finance Measures

 Oregon unions propose campaign finance limits that would still allow big donations -- from unions

The Oregonian 
December 22, 2021

by Rob Davis

After private negotiations to control political donations broke down, labor unions have filed three dueling campaign finance initiative petitions for the 2022 ballot that are far looser than measures already proposed by good government groups.

While the two camps agree that political money needs to be controlled in Oregon, one of five states with no caps on campaign donations, they have unresolved differences.

The union proposals, submitted to Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan last week, would still allow unions and other member-based organizations to make large donations to political campaigns. OPB first reported the proposals’ submission.

A one-page initiative proposed by the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, which represents more than 28,000 grocery store and non-food retail workers, would allow massive donations to state leaders.

How? The UFCW plan, Initiative Petition 48, would permit member-based organizations to donate $100 per member. A group like AARP, which has 38 million members nationwide, could in theory make a $3.8 billion donation under the UFCW plan.

The other two proposals from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents more than 30,000 public employees in Oregon, are similar to the plans from good government groups. But they would allow labor unions, which give more to Democratic candidates than Republicans, to make larger donations than the good government groups propose. The labor groups didn’t respond to requests for comment.

The AFSCME proposals, initiative petitions 46 and 47, would allow unions to give more than $1 million apiece to candidates through so-called small donor committees. They would permit donations of $50 per member living or working in Oregon; some Oregon labor groups have as many as 40,000 members. Donations from individuals would be capped at $2,000 for statewide offices, like governor, and $1,000 for legislators, judges and district attorneys.

Good government groups, including Honest Elections Oregon and the League of Women Voters, have proposed lower limits on small donor committees, with restrictions on both how much they could collect from members and how much they could give to any candidate.

OPB Article on Labor Union Campaign Finance Measures

Competing measures could muddy Oregon’s campaign finance debate

Oregon Public Broadcastng 
December 21, 2021

by Dirk VanderHart

After talks between left-leaning organizations broke down, three groups have filed proposals for reining in political spending.

Weeks after they came to an impasse over how Oregon should crack down on money in politics, left-leaning organizations are signaling they might just fight it out at the ballot box.

On Friday, two groups that are often aligned filed dueling ballot measure proposals for how to place limits on the state’s permissive campaign finance laws. Those proposals — one affiliated with public-sector labor and advocacy groups, the other from a private-sector union — join a series of three proposals filed earlier this month by good government groups.

The upshot: Six separate ideas for cracking down on political giving in the state have now been floated for the November 2022 ballot. Many, if not most, will die before they reach voters, but even two competing campaign finance measures next year could create confusion that advocates have been hoping to avoid.

Oregonian Article on 2022 Measures

Oregon good government groups file initiatives to cap campaign contributions, shed light on ‘dark money’

The Oregonian

by Hillary Borrud     December 9, 2021

Oregon voters could get a chance to decide whether to cap political donations and mandate transparency on who truly pays for political ads, under three proposed ballot initiatives filed this week.

The issues are hugely popular with voters, who overwhelmingly approved a state constitutional amendment in 2020 to explicitly allow campaign contribution limits and requirements that political ads identify the individuals or groups that paid for them. More than 1.7 million people voted for it, the most ever to support a ballot measure.

Now the good government groups that helped campaign for last year’s constitutional changes want voters to approve the types of political money limits and disclosures allowed under the amendment. They also want to create a public financing system, although not all of their proposals would do so.

Despite voters’ clear desire for donation limits and greater transparency, state lawmakers failed to agree on a plan to achieve those goals after months of closed-door negotiations with political players including big donors from across the political spectrum.

Coalition files ballot initiatives to reform Oregon's campaign finance laws

KATU     December 7, 2021

PORTLAND, Ore. — A coalition of campaign-finance-reform-minded groups have filed three ballot initiatives with the secretary of state’s office that they want to put before Oregon voters next year.
Honest Elections Oregon says its initiatives will help reduce the “perception and reality of corruption” in campaigns, increase transparency and elevate more voices in elections.
The coalition’s push for voters to have a voice on campaign finance reform comes after the Legislature earlier this year failed to pass bills that would have limited contributions to campaigns and create a small donor program.
The three initiatives filed Monday would do those two things, as well as require political ads to be transparent about who is funding them.
“I am proud of the measures we have filed and the extensive process we embarked on to craft the best policies possible with both local and national experts," said Jason Kafoury with Honest Elections Oregon. "We hope in the coming months, during the ballot title review process, to continue building a big tent to support these measures and to continue to work with historically marginalized communities."
He added the initiatives "could move Oregon from the Wild Wild West of campaign finance to leading the way with one the best programs in the nation.”
Oregon is one of five states that doesn’t have any limits on campaign contributions.
Oregon voters in November 2020 approved Measure 107, which amended the state Constitution to allow limits to political contributions.
Read the text of the initiatives

Initiative 43

Initiative 44

Initiative 45
The initiatives, as filed by Honest Elections, include things like limiting individual contributions to candidates running for statewide office to $2,000 per election cycle, limiting contributions from multicandidate committees to $2,000 per election cycle and limiting political party contributions to $50,000 per election cycle.
One of the initiatives also includes creating a public funding system for those running for state office and positions of judge and district attorney, where donations would be matched with public funds.
Source: https://katu.com/news/politics/coalition-files-ballot-initiatives-to-reform-oregons-campaign-finance-laws

Press Release on 2022 Measures

December 7, 2021 PORTLAND, Oregon

Honest Elections Oregon, a coalition of pro-democracy groups and advocates, filed ballot initiatives to enhance the campaign finance system in Oregon, reduce the perception and reality of corruption, and empower more voices in Oregon’s elections.  These measures:

• include large campaign contribution limits to reduce outsized big money influence
• require political ads to transparently reveal their largest funders
• create a small donor matching program to make smaller contributions matter and improve opportunities for candidates from historically marginalized communities
  

“I am honored to support the ballot campaign finance reform initiatives filed today. These measures can help to restore voters’ confidence in healthy democracy. Voters must know that our elections are fair and free of undue influence by powerful dark money at the expense of voters. We can accomplish this and restore trust in our political system.”

          --Rebecca Gladstone, President, League of Women Voters of Oregon

“I am proud of the measures we have filed and the extensive process we embarked on to craft the best policies possible with both local and national experts. We hope in the coming months, during the ballot title review process, to continue building a big tent to support these measures and to continue to work with historically marginalized communities. We know that voters want to take big money out of politics. These initiatives could move Oregon from the Wild Wild West of campaign finance to leading the way with one the best programs in the nation.”

          --Jason Kafoury, Honest Elections Oregon

Honest Elections Oregon worked successfully to pass campaign finance reforms in Multnomah County (2016) and the City of Portland (2018), proving not only that such policies are needed and popular but also that they work. The goal is to simply limit the corrosive impact money has had in Oregon politics and hold accountable those who attempt to subvert the will of democracy by buying elections.

OPB Article on Our 2022 Measures

Good government groups are pushing campaign finance limits in Oregon.  They might have competition.

Oregon Public Broadcasting    December 7, 2021

Following months of negotiations, labor unions and advocacy groups did not sign onto a plan for creating new campaign regulations.

After months of negotiations over what a system of campaign finance limits might look like for Oregon, a collection of left-leaning groups came to an impasse last week.

Now some participants in those negotiations are going it alone.

A coalition of good governance groups filed three potential ballot measures with the state on Monday that would shake up Oregon’s permissive system of funding campaigns. The group says it will decide on one to put forward to voters in 2022, once polling shows which is most popular.

While complex and differing in their specifics, each of the proposals would create new limits on what individuals, advocacy groups, labor organizations, corporations and political parties can contribute to candidates and causes.

The proposals also include requirements that political advertisements prominently display top donors, and that so-called “dark money” groups disclose their funding sources if they engage in campaigning.

One of the proposals would implement a system of public campaign financing, allowing candidates to accept small donations from individual donors and have that money multiplied by matching public funds. With public funding of up to $8 million a cycle for gubernatorial candidates — and far lower amounts for other offices —-- the system is designed to allow candidates to run competitive campaigns without focusing solely on big donors.