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:
There are good arguments for fixing existing political parties, but what if you decided to start your own party instead?
1) Think it through: Do you really want to get into this for the long haul? Learn about political and law making processes: Draft an Oregon Initiative or propose a federal law to one of your U.S. representatives to Congress. (Voting rights for 16 year olds or clapping is allowed only at the end of the State of the Union Address, maybe?) Take a look at this, “Nine Steps to Draft a Bill.” Or read the Citizen Engagement webpages on Oregon Legislature.
2) Learn how existing political parties operate so you can become an expert on what needs to change: Run for office under existing state laws and political party rules, which you’ll find at their respective political party websites.
Oregon Legal Research Blog