News
The General Election is on November 4All ballots must be received at a County Elections Office or a designated drop site by 8pm on the date of the election in order to be counted.
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Elders in Action Commission Announces Positions on Nine November 2008 Ballot Measures
VOTE!
The Elders in Action Commission, a powerful voice of older adults for forty years, has actively advocated at the local, state and federal level on positions to improve the quality of life for older adults and the community as a whole. The positions we have taken on nine of the November Ballot Measures are described below. Our positions are based on the impact these measures will have in providing services to enable seniors and persons with disabilities to live quality lives in situations of their choice.
VOTE YES ON MEASURES 56 and 57
Yes on Measure 56- restores fairness to elections by ensuring that local measures win by the majority of people who actually vote.
Yes on Measure 57- is the better way to fight crime. Measure 57 toughens sentences for certain drug traffickers, identity thieves, property offenders, and criminals who prey on the elderly, and requires drug treatment or stiffer sentences for those who refuse treatment. Measure 57 stops revolving-door justice by addressing the root cause of crime.
VOTE NO ON MEASURES 58 to 64
No on Measure 58- is a one-size-fits-all teaching mandate that is so poorly written that most students will be limited to only one year of English - and it makes no exception for students with learning disabilities. Measure 58 would cost the state at least half a billion dollars over the next two years.
No on Measure 59- This is the same measure that Oregonians have defeated twice before. By granting Oregonians an unlimited federal income tax deduction on state taxes, Measure 59 would cut $2.4 billion in funding for education, public safety, and healthcare. Yet 75% of Oregonians would save less than one dollar.
No on Measure 60- requires teachers' salaries to be based solely on undefined "classroom performance," which will no doubt lead to more standardized tests and fewer teachers willing to take on the most challenging assignments.
No on Measure 61- This one-size-fits-all approach to crime would cost the state $586 million per biennium to implement and would require and the construction of at least three more prisons - to the tune of $1.3 billion dollars- while not even addressing mandatory drug treatment.
No on Measure 62- Measure 62 would take nearly $185 million out of the StateSchool Fund, resulting in fewer teachers, larger classes, shorter school years, and less classroom materials. It also pulls money out of job creation programs.
No on Measure 63- Fire Fighters, renters' advocates, labor unions, emergency workers, and environmental groups oppose Measure 63, which would allow property owners to build certain constructions on their property without building permits, safety inspections, or adherence to any state environmental laws.
No on Measure 64- would silence the voices of working people by stopping public employees -like teachers, fire fighters, and nurses - from using voluntary payroll deductions to donate to charities, unions, or other organizations of their choice. Oregonians have defeated this measure two times already.
