From The Oregonian:
Four dozen ordinary people just wrapped up the best temp job in Oregon. For $150 a day, plus room and board at a nice Salem hotel, they studied politically charged ballot measures for a solid week and gave them a thumbs up or down.
It’s not yet clear whether their efforts will help voters make smarter decisions in the November election about crime or marijuana. But I do think these Citizens’ Initiative Review panels, as they’re called, are a new civic force to be reckoned with. If Kevin Mannix and other players in the initiative process disregard their significance, they’ll do so at their own peril.