Oregon Ballot Measure Recommendations
Oregon ballots have arrived! We have taken positions on four ballot measures that will impact civil liberties and/or civil rights in Oregon. Please check out our recommendations -- and thank you for exercising your right to vote.
Equal Protection: YES on Measure 88 - Driver Card
The ACLU of Oregon’s work is rooted in the notion that all persons in Oregon deserve protection under the law and the right to be free from discrimination. We also ascribe to the view that the purpose of requiring that every driver be licensed should be to ensure that drivers know the rules of the road, have liability insurance and have the skills to drive safely – not to act as a proxy for enforcement of federal immigration law.
We strongly opposed the changes to Oregon law in 2007 that added the requirement for all Oregon driver license applicants and renewals to provide proof of lawful presence in the U.S. Measure 88 is a common sense measure designed to make our roads and communities more safe by creating a limited purpose and limited duration driver “card” that would be available to those that would otherwise qualify for a license but, for whatever reason, cannot “prove” their lawful presence in the U.S.
Drug Reform: YES on Measure 91 - Marijuana
Law enforcement’s war on marijuana is a failure and has needlessly ensnared hundreds of thousands of people in the criminal justice system at a tremendous human and fiscal cost. Shifting Oregon away from the unsuccessful prohibition model towards a more effective harm reduction model long has been a high priority for the ACLU and our staff helped draft Ballot Measure 91.
Legalizing, regulating and taxing the recreational use of marijuana by adults 21 and older will bring a new approach to our drug laws, making them more fair, more compassionate, and smarter at reducing drug dependency and improving public health and safety. We urge a YES vote.
NO on Measure 89 - ERA
The ACLU of Oregon has long supported passage of the federal Equal Rights Amendment because we believe that equality under the law for all is a fundamental right to a free people and because the United States Supreme Court has not gone as far as it should to protect Americans against gender discrimination under the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under the law.
By contrast, the Oregon Constitution already has the strongest possible protection against sex discrimination and the Oregon Supreme Court has enforced that protection. Thus, Measure 89 is unnecessary.
YOU DECIDE on Measure 90 - Top Two Primary
Measure 90 (the “top-two primary” measure) raises two civil liberties interests: meaningful access to the ballot for minority party and independent candidates and voters, and the right of association for political parties. Because of the competing civil liberties interests raised by the top-two primary, the ACLU of Oregon is neutral* on the measure and encourages voters to carefully examine arguments on both sides in order to make an informed decision as to their vote.
We review all state ballot measures and take positions on those that would have an impact on civil liberties and civil rights. We also have a long history of participating in ballot measure campaigns that affect civil liberties. We are strictly non-partisan and never support or oppose candidates for elective office.