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My understanding is that a 10% limit on the rainy day fund would be about 1.5 billion dollars. Is that enough? The current deficite in our revenue is about $3 billion.

posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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Much has been discussed about online voting. Although very attractive, computer science and voting experts agree that there is no current way to securely vote online.

posted 5 years ago
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The Secretary of State oversees and enforces Oregon's campaign finance disclosure and regulation system.

It is little known that Oregon law currently allows campaign contribution funds to be used for public office related expenses. Because "public office related" is undefined, campaign funds have been used for all sorts of things that are not campaigning for office. Some of these things are also supposed to be paid for by per diem paid to legislators, so they amount to "double dipping". Would the SoS candidates support closing this loophole?

This is one piece of campaign finance reform. Would the SoS candidates support some form of CFR such as limiting campaign contributions or some form of clean money elections like in Arizona, Connecticut, Maine, or the City of Portland?

posted 5 years ago
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Part of the system is that the $5 qualifying contributions can also be paid in cash or by money order. Separately, a participating candidate can accept up to $100 "seed money" contributions during the qualifying period. If a candidate qualifies for the Voter Owned money, then both qualifying and seed money contributions are later deducted from VOE funding of the candidate.

Representation by district has its own problems, motivating candidates toward provincial representation of geography and industry rather than people.

posted 5 years, 1 month ago
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My question: Did Sho Dozono know, when he allowed a lobbyist, Len Bergstein, to show him his poll, that he was receiving a large in-kind campaign contribution? I think he probably did not know, but I have not seen any news coverage on this point. If he knew, then he first should have checked the rules for receiving Portland VOE support. If he did not know, then he trapped himself into being ineligible for VOE support.

Either way is regrettable. He now will have to spend much of his remaining campaign time (assuming he stays in the race) dialing for dollars, and Portland's voters have lost interacting as much with him during the campaign. Furthermore, Mr. Dozono will more likely be beholden to his large campaign contributors like Bergstein, rather than to all the city's voters. City tax payers will also likely loose if Mr. Dozono is elected and is tempted to reward his campaign contributors with access, favors or policies that otherwise would not be considered.

Did the VOE system rules entrap Mr. Dozono? I think not. It appears that Len Bergstein unintentionally did Dozono in. Bergstein should know better too. The system worked as designed as discussed in this article: http://www.oregonlive.com/commentary/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1205798120327630.xml&coll=7

Norman Turrill
First Vice President
League of Women Voters of Oregon

posted 5 years, 1 month ago
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