Campaign Finance Makes the Ballot--Barely

By the skin of their signature validating teeth, both the constitutional and statutory measures designed to limit campaign finance spending unofficially cleared the ballot hurdle and will go before Oregonians this fall. From Our Oregon:

IP8 (constitutional) got 101,332 validated signatures with a verification rate of 66.61%. This initiative petition needed 100,840 signatures to qualify for the ballot. Note: this squeaked by within 0.49% of qualification

IP37 (statutory) got 79,760 validated signatures and a verification rate of 65.99%. This initiative petition needed 75,630 signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Look again at those verifcation totals--as with other measures gathered by circulators being paid on the basis of signatures, these made it by the skin of their metaphoric teeth. Are you paying attention, Dan and Tim? Are you ready to admit that by-sig payments creates slopper work in the field? I don't know of a single hourly-pay initiative that has gotten less than 70%, and the only hourly-wage measure to be evaluated cleared 71% validity. It's too bad the Trick(e)y measures are on the ballot, but their inefficient practices for getting them there have to be of pocketbook concern to them (and especially Tim's subcontractors, who apparently would take the fall if payments didn't get made because the contract called for a 70% minimum).

Still waiting on TABOR, and Portland's pot initiative looks like it will wait until Aug 7th.