PORTLAND, Ore. -- david rogers, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, had the following comment on the defeat of Measures 105 and 106:
"Oregonians used their ballots to protect their values by defeating Measures 105 and 106. Oregonians said loud and clear that reproductive freedom and immigrant rights are important to this state.
"We were blown away by the level of engagement from volunteers and the dynamic and diverse coalitions that made these victories possible. We are very proud that Oregon will continue to be a beacon of hope during these troubling times. President Trump and some Oregon politicians have targeted our communities and played the politics of fear and division, but the overwhelming majority of Oregon voters did not fall for it.
"Elected officials should take note: The politics of division and hate have no place in Oregon. You will not succeed if you tie yourself to them. The days of targeting vulnerable communities for political gains are over.
"Today affirmed that regardless of what is happening in the national political landscape, we can still make forward progress when we organize on local and state issues. We won't let President Trump dictate what kind of communities we live in. Today Oregon's values stood strong.
"But make no mistake, our work isn’t done. We will continue to fight for all people to be treated fairly in Oregon. We will continue to engage over 52,000 ACLU members and supporters on state and local issues, including in the upcoming 2019 state legislative session where we will be fighting for immigrant rights, juvenile justice reform, privacy, and prosecutorial reform."
More information:
The ACLU and the ACLU of Oregon were major backers of the No on 105 campaign, contributing more than $1 million to defeat the anti-immigrant measure. The ACLU of Oregon organized a massive volunteer effort to defeat Measure 105 and Measure 106. With over 600 volunteer shifts completed, ACLU volunteers knocked on more than 20,000 voter doors in the state and made more than 50,000 voter calls. Additionally, they contacted more than 300,000 voters through the mail and ran a series of digital ads targeting persuadable and Spanish speaking voters.