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From The Oregonian: Kenny Burke didn’t think he’d be chosen. He had returned the postcard, mostly at the behest of his wife. Only weeks later, Burke learned he’d been selected to be part of a panel that would review a citizen initiative bound for the November ballot. And for the first time, a citizen panel’s opinion […]

From The Statesman Journal: By Peter Wong An experiment in how Oregon voters look at ballot initiatives will unfold starting Monday — an experiment worth watching, literally, at Salem Conference Center. Just like a jury in a courtroom, a panel of 24 voters from throughout the state will hear from advocates and opponents of an initiative

From Eugene Register-Guard: The initiative process asks a lot of citizens, particularly when voters are bombarded with conflicting claims by well-financed campaigns. In this election cycle, Oregon will have some help: A random sampling of people from around the state will gather for an intensive evaluation of two initiatives on the November ballot, and findings will

From AmericaSpeaks: What were the most interesting public deliberations to take place this year? This certainly isn’t a definitive list. But as I think about the past year, here are the five efforts that stand out for me as being noteworthy and important. 1. Citizen Initiative Review The Oregon Citizen Initiative Review is a process organized

From The East Oregonian: Love-hate is a good description of Oregon voters’ relationship with our state’s fabled initiative and referendum. On the one hand, voters are possessive of the ballot initiative. On the other hand, these ballot proposals are notoriously complicated, and their campaigns typically generate more heat than light. Most statewide ballot proposals are blunt

From The Hillsboro Argus: A panel of citizens have issued their verdict on Measure 58. Their recommendation: Reject it. Measure 58 would limit the number of years non-native students may be taught in the language of their birth: one year for elementary students, two for those in high school. The evaluation came as the result of