In November 2020, Oregonians passed Measure 107, paving the way for the State Legislature and local governments to regulate campaign spending. In the fall of 2020, City Club formed a research committee to explore opportunities for campaign finance reform. Our committee was charged with providing a set of criteria and recommendations to policymakers as they evaluate and make changes to how political campaigns are paid for in our state.

The committee’s report makes the following recommendations:

1. BIPOC voices must be at the center of policy development.

2. New regulations should be tailored so they don’t become a barrier to entry for underrepresented voices.

3. Contribution limits should be data-driven and contextual.

4. Policymakers should consider how they can improve the reporting requirements already in place and make campaign finance information more accessible to ordinary people.

5. Contribution limits are not enough. Policymakers should consider some form of public financing and a range of policies to build the system we want.

You can read the full report here.

Research Committee

Thank you to the research committee member for their excellent work:

Andrea Williams, co-chair
Jonathan Radmacher, co-chair
Kathy McLaughlin
Nathan Miley-Wills
Nate Ramsey
Zoe Klingmann, writer

VOTING RESULTS
February 1, 2021

The Future of Money in Oregon Politics: Recommendations for policymakers

Approve: 88.1%
Reject: 11.9%
Abstain: 0%