State Green Party Press Release

Greens Concerned About New Oregon Primary Proposal.

Pacific Green Party of Oregon

March 15, 2004

Contacts:
Joanne Cvar, Media Coor, 541-563-3615 cvar@oregonvos.net
Liz Trojan, Co-Chair, 503-246-7850 elizat8@pobox.com
PGP: http://www.pacificgreens.org
USGP: http://www.gp.org

Members of the Pacific Green Party of Oregon are expressing concerns about the New Oregon Primary proposed in a recent "White Paper" published by the Oregon Progress Forum. Blair Bobier, a founder of the Oregon Greens, puts it bluntly: "This is a bad idea which would effectively end 'minor' party participation in general elections. It favors money and the 'major' parties, not the voters. The candidates with the most money would win in May."

The premise of the proposal is that voters would be better served if ballots for key state and federal offices in the Oregon primaries were non-partisan, listed all candidates, were mailed to every voter, and voters could choose from any candidates listed regardless of party affiliation. (See www.oregonprogressforum.org_ for a one-page description of the full White Paper.)

While at first glance the proposal seems to offer some advantage to minor parties in allowing any and all candidates to be listed on the ballot, Greens remain skeptical. Jeff Cropp, Co-Chair of the Portland Metro Chapter and Elections Coordinator of the state party, believes "holding partisan elections focuses public attention on how candidates choose to label themselves -- Green, Republican, whatever -- and on whether the people who most identify with that label accept the candidate as one of their own. This provides crucial examination and disclosure, even in such a restricted party system as the one that exists in the US. Nonpartisan elections make it easier for candidates to be vague about what they stand for."

"[In a non-partisan race], Republicans and Libertarians will win every election," adds Dan Meek, PGP legislative spokesperson and chief petitioner for Campaign Finance Reform Initiative #53. "Why? The corporations will know whom to back, and those candidates will win due to name recognition generated from paid advertising funded by the corporations."

"A better solution," concludes Bobier, "would be to implement instant runoff voting in primaries and the general election. Other more urgent reforms include proportional representation and campaign finance reform. "