August 10, 2023 12:36pm EDT
GOP lawmakers barred from re-election in Oregon after 6-week walkout, state secretary says
Republicans push back against Oregon's state secretary who says lawmakers who boycotted and racked up absences are disqualified from seeking re-election
By Jamie Joseph | Fox News
Oregon Republican leaders who orchestrated a six-week walkout from legislative sessions to stall Democrat-led bills will not be allowed to run for re-election when their term ends in 2024, Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade said Tuesday.
Griffin-Valade, a Democrat, vowed to uphold a 2022 law passed by Oregon voters known as Measure 113, which says lawmakers with more than 10 unexcused absences from the legislative session will not be eligible for re-election.
"It is clear voters intended Measure 113 to disqualify legislators from running for re-election if they had 10 or more unexcused absences in a legislative session," Griffin-Valade said in a news release. "My decision honors the voters’ intent by enforcing the measure the way it was commonly understood when Oregonians added it to our state constitution."
According to the measure, if a House or Senate leader fails to attend legislative sessions, they will be disqualified from running for re-election "for the term following the election after the member’s current term is completed."
Griffin-Valade directed the Oregon Elections Division to implement an administrative rule to provide "guidance to candidates on Measure 113."
Some Republican lawmakers say the language in Measure 113 does allow for re-election in such cases, suggesting the language means they are eligible to contest the 2024 elections because their current terms conclude in January 2025. They say this means they are disqualified from running after their next term expires.
Republicans argue that their parliamentary tactic has been used in the past by both Republicans and Democrats across different states.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-lawmakers-barred-reelection-oregon-six-week-walkout
