Scrap the double majority

The voters spoke. They want stable funding for the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.

But they aren’t going to get it because their votes were invalidated by Oregon’s “double-majority” rule, which requires that any money measure such as the creation of a new tax district draw a greater than 50 percent voter turnout.

The sheriff got the votes but didn’t get the turnout.

The double-majority law is a travesty and it’s time to scrap it. The rule was created as part of the Measure 47/50 tax restriction initiatives passed in 1996/97. It is a cynical ploy to exploit voter apathy and force tax measures onto a general election ballot where reactionary anti-tax zealots hope they will be lost in the shuffle.

The double-majority law disenfranchises voters; if you vote and enough of your neighbors stay home, your vote doesn’t count. That is anti-democratic. It is un-American.

You should not be able to “vote” without bothering to cast a ballot.

But that doesn’t make it right. Oregon’s legislators need to show some leadership and overturn this cynical electoral trap and restore the integrity of Oregon’s democratic process.

Jim Cornelius — News Editor

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

• Email: editor@nuggetnews.com
• Phone: 5415499941