The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) (see also this view of the TPP, among others) would become FEDERAL law, not STATE law, so you should start your research with your Oregon Congressional Delegation. This is not to say you shouldn’t also talk to your Oregon state representatives, who should be conversant on the subject of the TPP anyway, if only because any national trade laws will affect you locally, your business, you as consumer, and all of us (most of us) as taxpayers.
A brief tutorial:
It’s easy to register to vote in Oregon, online, in person, by mail.
Visit the Oregon Secretary of State Elections homepage or the Register to Vote page directly.
It’s also easy to update your contact information, e.g. address, name, etc.
We love voting in Oregon. Not only can we vote by mail, but we get a honkin’ huge Voter Pamphlet to read on long commutes and rainy afternoons, and for pure reading pleasure.
There is even a little comedy in the Voter’s Pamphlet, and I haven’t even gotten past Measure 78 on page 52 (out of 151 pages).
On page 52 of the Voter’s Pamphlet you will find the “Estimate of Financial Impact” of Measure 78, a fairly routine though slightly comic proposal to change some of the language of the Oregon Constitution. (It brings to mind a charming speaker at a county public meeting who said in all seriousness that “he liked Government but does not understand it.”)
The Oregon voter registration deadline for the November 2012 election is: October 16, 2012
Visit the Oregon Secretary of State OregonVotes dot org website for links to online registration, registration sites, information about the November ballot, and much more.
Or, visit your county election office.
Questions about Oregon initiative and referendum signature petitions are as old as the petition itself (1902) and as new as yesterday (see History links, below). The latest challenges are to the Secretary of State’s office tossing petition signatures for a 2010 ballot initiative that would change how the state manages legislative redistricting.
There are lots of recent news stories; online news readers can Google (or otherwise search) “oregon initiative petition signatures” with any variations you wish that develop as you read the stories. Don’t forget that the phrase “valid signature” may not be used in a story about petitioner signatures and instead, there may be words like signature verification, authentication, and similar words used in conjunction with the words petitions, signatures, and initiatives.
Keep in mind also that I know little about signature petitions (see Disclaimer, below), let alone the initiative and referendum process (other than as a voter), so come along on my:
Oregon Legal Research Blog