Oregon is the birthplace of the Citizens' Initiative Review.

The CIR was first demonstrated on a statewide basis in Oregon in 2008, and in 2011 the Citizens’ Initiative Review was signed into law by the Oregon legislature – an historic first. For more details on the CIR’s history, visit our About page.

The Citizens’ Initiative Review Commission oversees statewide Citizens’ Initiative Reviews in Oregon, which occurred every even year since 2008. No statewide review took place in 2018 due to a lack of funding. But we took the opportunity to do a local one in the Portland area instead!

2018 Portland Metro-Area CIR

For the first time ever, a randomly selected and demographically representative citizen panel reviewed a local ballot measure in the Portland metro area. Over four days of deliberation, the panel reviewed Measure 26-199, the Portland Metro Region Affordable Housing Bond. For more information on this review and to read the Citizens’ Statement, click here.

Oregon Citizens' Statements

Statewide

Measure 97 (2016)
Measure 92 (2014)
Measure 90 (2014)
Measure 85 (2012)
Measure 82 (2012)
Measure 74 (2010)
Measure 73 (2010)
Measure 58 (2008)

Portland Metro Area

Measure 26-199 (2018)

Jackson County

Jackson County, Oregon, was the site of the first county pilot of a Citizens’ Initiative Review process.

Measure 15-119 (2014)

Recent Tweets

Thrilled to participate in our first meeting as a member of the OECD Innovative Citizen Participation Network -- and to present on the Oregon Citizen Assembly on COVID! @ClaudiaChwalisz @ICesnulaityte @OECDgov
— Healthy Democracy @(healthydem) 3 months ago

pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-news/4723…
— Healthy Democracy @(healthydem) 7 months ago

Honored to be part of a landmark new @OECD report on lottery-selected deliberative democracy. Significantly, Chapter 5 proposes some of the first int'l principles for these types of democratic institutions. We contributed to them and couldn't agree more with how they turned out. twitter.com/ClaudiaChwalis…
— Healthy Democracy @(healthydem) 7 months ago

In March, our very own @linndavis observed France's national @Conv_Citoyenne. He reports on the potential impact of the Convention, and suggests questions for deliberative practitioners to consider. Check out our blog! healthydemocracy.org…/observations-on-frances-cit…/
— Healthy Democracy @(healthydem) 10 months ago

Our March newsletter is relatively short, but with many links that may help during these difficult times. Check it out! And while you're on our website, sign up to get our newsletter directly in your inbox! healthydemocracy.org/newsletter/
— Healthy Democracy @(healthydem) 10 months ago

Recent Posts

Assuming Democracy: Adam Says Hello

October 8, 2020

After too many years working in the advertising industry as a Creative Director, one day I came to the liberating conclusion that I no longer wanted to sell people things they didn’t need. This reluctant admission was instantly followed by a life-changing question: what if I take the skills I have for selling people stuff
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“The Hope and Promise of Our Democracy”: Robin Says Goodbye

August 31, 2020

It has been my great privilege to have served the Healthy Democracy organization over the past 4 ½ years alongside some of the most dedicated staff and volunteer board members one could imagine. First and foremost, my thanks goes to each of them for making this work possible and impactful, and equally importantly, for making
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Annabelle’s Reflection on her Nevins Fellowship with Healthy Democracy

August 15, 2020

Over the summer, Healthy Democracy was grateful to welcome Annabelle LaRosa as our 2020 Nevins Fellow. The Nevins Fellowship, through the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State, provides students with the opportunity to complete internships at organizations that bring people together to solve common problems. From June through August, Annabelle lent her perspective and
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CIR in Oregon