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Oregon Business Association

BALANCED VOICE

January 4, 2008

Welcome to OBA-Online

Oregon Business Association is excited to announce the launch of our new website www.oba-online.org and to introduce you to the Balanced Voice - a  weekly electronic newsletter.

We plan on using the Balanced Voice to keep you informed of OBA efforts and to highlight important issues.

Throughout the year, we will also highlight member companies and provide reports on the important work being done in our member-driven policy committees.

As part of this new interactive effort, we want to hear from you. If you have an issue that you would like to address, please let us know.  We also welcome any thoughts or suggestions you have for the Balanced Voice or the www.oba-online.org website.

We hope that the Balanced Voice becomes a useful tool in your efforts to make a difference in Oregon and something you look forward to getting each week. If however, you do not want to receive the weekly newsletter you can unsubscribe anytime by clicking the link below.

In this first issue of the Balance Voice you will learn about the ongoing effort to open up Oregon's primary system.  Enjoy the article submitted by OBA Board Member Phil Keisling.

Happy New Year from OBA.

OBA Member Commentary

The Oregon Open Primary - Its Time is Now
By Phil Keisling

A century ago, Oregon voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure to abolish the proverbial “smoke-filled room” of party bosses, and require Democratic and Republican nominees to be selected directly by voters.

Today, it’s time for a similarly bold step: abolish Oregon’s existing political party primary.

In its place, the Oregon Open Primary would give every Oregon voter, regardless of personal party affiliation (or lack thereof), an identical ballot in the May primary election. All candidates would be listed. Voters could then vote for their favorite candidate, in each race, regardless of their (or the candidates’) party affiliation, or lack thereof.

The top two voter-getters – again, regardless of party affiliation – would advance to the November election.

Oregon Business Association took a leadership position on this fundamental reform, endorsing the Open Primary in 2005 and working hard to pass it in both the 2005 and 2007 legislative sessions. While a 2006 initiative effort fell just short, in January 2008 a new ballot measure will begin circulating, which will need approximately 82,000 valid signatures by July, 2007.
(To learn more, sign the petition or help in other ways go to www.oneballot.com).

A December, 2007 survey found Oregon voters favoring this reform by a 66-20% margin. Regardless of voters’ age, gender, geography – or party registration – every major demographic group overwhelmingly favors this change. More than a dozen editorial boards have endorsed this effort, as did the bi-partisan panel on Legislative Reform appointed by the 2005 Legislature.

The Oregon Open Primary would change the underlying dynamics of politics in a number of significant ways. It would:

Click here to finish reading Phil's op-ed

 

OBA in the News

Oregon Business magazine highlighted OBA plans for the 2008 Legislative Special Session which include funding the Big Look Task Force and passing a bill that would create a tax credit for companies that exceed environmental emissions standards. Click here to the read the article.