IT'S TIME TO VOTE!

Shelly’s 2024 Ballot Measure Voting Guide

Measure 115: Allows the Legislature to impeach statewide elected officials, including the Governor and Secretary of State.

My Recommended Vote: YES. Oregon is the only state in the nation without a system of impeachment. We need this common sense accountability measure. This applies only to the executive branch, not members of the legislature, and voters can still recall their elected officials.

Measure 116: Create an independent board to give elected officials pay increases.

My Recommended Vote: NO. I voted against referring this to voters. It sounds good on the surface, as it will take the power out of the hands of politicians to determine their own pay raises, but the “independent” commission will be anything but. There are no clear guidelines for how or by whom the commission will be appointed. I suspect it will be packed with progressive activists. Right now, the Oregon Legislature is a “citizen legislature.” The last thing we need is highly-paid professional politicians like California.

Measure 117: Establish ranked choice voting for federal and state elections in Oregon.

My Recommended Vote: NO. Ranked choice voting (RCV) will make our elections confusing and unreliable. There are many reasons to oppose RCV, but perhaps the best is that the Oregon Legislators who are making you vote on Measure 117 won’t face a Ranked Choice election themselves. They created a carveout just for themselves. Why don’t they want the rules to apply to them?

Measure 118: Increase taxes on Oregon businesses and give out money to everyone else.

My Recommended Vote: NO. This may be the worst ballot measure this year. A California billionaire bankrolled the process to get it on the ballot, yet won’t pay a single penny more in taxes if it becomes law. Measure 118 would tax every step of the supply chain. Manufacturer to processor? Taxed! Processor to packaging? Taxed! Packaging to distributor? Taxed! Distributor to store? Taxed! Store to you? TAXED! This would jack up healthcare costs, the price at the pump, and everyday essentials.

Measure 119: Requires the Oregon marijuana industry to unionize.

My Recommended Vote: NO. Over the last 70 years, union membership has declined in America by over 20%. Americans should be free to choose if they want to participate in a union, not be coerced by the government and the lobbyists and politicians who stand to profit from it.