Oregonians are cynical about state politics and open to government reforms such as limits on campaign finance and open primaries, a new report from the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center finds.
The report is compiled from two surveys conducted in late 2023 by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Center and includes responses from more than 5,400 Oregonians. It comes as lawmakers and voters consider adopting proposals for new limits on campaign finance and changes to state elections, and as Portland voters prepare for their first elections in a new form of city government. It was carried out while
The results showed that 49% of respondents felt the community was heading in the wrong direction, compared to 44% who said the community was heading in the right direction. Democrats and respondents with a college degree were most likely to support the state's direction, while Republicans and voters with only a little college experience were negative.
A majority of respondents (59%) said they would prefer a bigger government that provides more services. But a similar number, 58%, said government is almost always wasteful and inefficient. That distrust carried over into questions about elections, with 75% of respondents saying the most politically popular candidate would win, rather than the most qualified candidate, and 58% saying the current electoral system said they produce results that reflect the values and beliefs of a small number of people. Political Oregonians, not the values and beliefs of typical Oregonians across the state.
Pollsters also asked about support for various government reforms and found that respondents primarily supported limiting campaign finance and opening party primaries. Respondents remained skeptical about other ideas, such as different ways of calculating election winners and electing multiple candidates to represent a single district.
After years of stalled campaign finance reform legislation, Oregon voters face the possibility of two competing measures on the November ballot. One is supported by labor unions that typically support Democratic candidates, and the other is supported by nonpartisan groups, including the League of Women Voters. The Oregon Legislature is also considering House Bill 4024, a proposal authored by labor and business groups, with a public hearing scheduled for Friday afternoon.
Oregon is one of the few states that does not limit campaign contributions, leading to huge spending from a small number of individuals and groups. For example, Nike co-founder Phil Knight spent nearly $7 million in the 2022 election cycle, while the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) spent more than $3 million in the gubernatorial race alone.
The Portland-based Oregon Values Center found that 75% of respondents agreed that the state should regulate funding in political campaigns, with support increasing with age. People who have lived in Oregon for five years or more are more likely to support limits on campaign contributions than newcomers.
“Our first priority is to get money out of politics. That's the only way to make things truly fair. Politicians can now be bought, and only the wealthy get all the money.” It's about taking power,'' an unaffiliated Wheeler County woman in her 40s or 50s told investigators.
Although the majority of Oregon's legislative elections are decided in primaries in which only registered Republicans and Democrats can vote, independent voters represent the state's largest voting bloc, with five of the six congressional districts Independent voters dominate one and many parliamentary districts.
Supporters of open primaries in Oregon began working in the spring of 2023 with the goal of putting the measure on the 2024 ballot after disagreeing with the title of the ballot written by the attorney general's office. But they have since paused that effort, saying they are instead exploring “more promising strategies to enfranchise Oregon voters.”
The survey found that 63% of respondents, including a majority of Democrats and Republicans, think the two major parties should start primaries. Older respondents were more likely to support keeping the current system in place than younger voters, who are more likely to register as independents.
The least popular alternative to the current system is a “top two” primary format like those in California and Washington, where all candidates are listed on the primary ballot and the top vote-getters Two candidates would advance to the general election. As a result, both general election candidates could be elected from the same party.
A majority of Oregonians surveyed said the current election system, where the person with the most votes wins even if they don't win a majority of voters, should be changed. But they weren't sure about the best way to do it.
Voters will see one of the election system change options on their November ballots following a parliamentary referral on ranked-choice voting. In ranked-choice voting, voters rank candidates based on their priorities. If a candidate initially fails to receive more than 50% of her first place rankings, the candidate with the lowest score is removed and the voter who ranked that candidate highest receives that candidate. The votes will be redistributed. It continues until one candidate wins a majority.
More than one-third of respondents said they supported switching to ranked-choice voting, while just under one-third said they supported switching to a traditional run-off (if the top two candidates did not receive more than 50% of the votes). He said he would prefer to move to re-election. of voting.
“We need class-choice voting,” said one Democratic woman between the ages of 65 and 74 in Washington County. “I'm a bloody liberal, but I don't want someone as liberal as I am in power. I want moderate centrists to be the decision-makers and compromise for the benefit of all.” We want ranked-choice voting to push candidates into the middle, so they don't have to pander to the fringes[on either side].”
The Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of the States Newsroom and maintains editorial independence. If you have any questions, please contact editor Lynne Terry at info@oregoncapitalchronicle.com.
