Help Protect Voting Rights in Oregon

DONATIONS MATCHED: The first $5,000 of our fundraising will be matched by two generous donors! We have until March 15th to reach this goal. Please donate today!!

SUMMARY: We need your help defending voting rights and smart land use in Oregon! Please help fund our court case to protect the Oregon Constitutional right to the referendum process for Urban Growth Boundary expansions, not only for Oregon as a whole, but also for the already certified referendum in North Plains. (Referendum: The power granted by the Oregon Constitution to the people to approve or reject legislative decisions by state, local, special or municipal bodies of government.)

DETAILS: We are raising money on behalf of Friends of North Plains Smart Growth, a 501(c)(4) organization in a small town, West of Portland, that has been doing big things to protect farmland and keep their local city growing smart, not huge.

To stop the City of North Plains from more than doubling in size, and gobbling up 855 acres of our best farmland, the group started a referendum to let the voters decide if they wanted such unplanned and unprecedented expansion. This was all set to be decided at the ballot in May 2024, with all signs pointing to the citizens of North Plains voting against the huge expansion. But then, legislative session happened. Those who oppose the referendum secretly advocated for a bill that would invalidate North Plains' referendum, as well as all future referenda on Urban Growth Boundary expansions.

This bill, that limits the constitutional right to call a referendum, was drafted and passed in a way that was as undemocratic as the bill itself. It was introduced in committee in a "gut and stuff:" Another bill, ironically instructing the Secretary of State to improve voting access, was emptied out, and inserted as an amendment was the language disallowing all referenda on UGB issues retroactive to 2023 (the North Plains example is the only UGB referendum ever). No substantive discussions were had, and yet this bill passed the House and Senate with overwhelming majorities, and through their committees unanimously. You can hear Aaron, from the organization, discussing the bill right after it was introduced on Aileen Kaye's excellent radio show, "Keeping Oregon Oregon" here.

Other articles:

Forest Grove News Times:

The Oregonian:

Hillsboro News Times:

The bill is anti-democratic and against citizen involvement. It takes away an already scheduled vote, demanded by the people of North Plains, on an issue that will affect their lives for generations.

But more importantly, it is unconstitutional. Article IV section 5 of the Oregon Constitution clearly states that the legislature has no power to determine what can be referred by the voters – the people reserve that power to themselves. Though lawmakers twisted some definitions and insist that the bill just restates existing law, and is therefore constitutional, it is highly unlikely a judge will agree with the convoluted logic intended to strip voting rights. (And why do we need a bill that doesn't do anything anyway!?)

Unfortunately, this puts voting residents of North Plains in a situation where they will likely have to sue to protect their referendum and the right to referenda in general. This may have been the intention of the bill's authors – not to write a bill that could pass constitutional muster, but one that could still effectively prevent citizen involvement by putting an expensive hurdle in the way.

If it is left unchanged, the bill could abridge voting rights by default. Though we already had the referendum legally certified for the ballot at the request of more than 10% of North Plains' voters, and have already had to defend with legal memos at the county, now we have to contend with undemocratic state legislation.

Friends of North Plains Smart Growth is a small organization in a small town. But the issue is a huge issue and, thanks to lawmakers, is now a statewide challenge to one of our constitutional rights. If our referendum is decertified, we will sue, with two land use and election lawyers on deck who believe that we will win in court, but it won't be cheap.

Please join us in helping North Plains defend its referendum, its farmland, and all of our rights to participate in our own democracy!! Please follow along and learn more on our website (where you can join our active mailing list for even more updates) and please, please, donate what you can to the cause. It's a cause for all of us.

Friends of North Plains Smart Growth is a political committee. As such, you can deduct your donation to us on your personal, state income tax return to the extent permitted by law, which is currently $50 dollars per individual or $100 per couple filing jointly. Our official name is “Friends of North Plains Smart Growth,” and our number for the ORESTAR registry is: 23338.

As with all political donations in Oregon, if you donate over one-hundred dollars we will need to report your address and occupation with our campaign finance report.

*** If you donate $100 or more, please message us, through GoFundMe, your address and occupation for our campaign finance report. If we don't hear from you, we will need to email you for that information. ***

Friends of North Plains Smart Growth is an volunteer organization – 100% of the money received, after processing fees, will go to support the legal fees and campaign.

We estimate the legal fees to be between $10,000-$15,000 dollars, and anything raised past that will help us promote the campaign in North Plains with yard signs, flyers, other educational materials for the public, etc.

You can make donations here or mail checks made out to "Friends of North Plains Smart Growth" to:

Friends of North Plains Smart Growth

c/o Aaron Nichols

11000 NW Jackson Quarry Rd.

Hillsboro, OR 97124

Thank you!

Aaron Nichols for Friends of North Plains Smart Growth