Ballot initiative mechanics in Oregon

How ballot initiatives work covers the four mechanisms nationally. This page covers Oregon's specific numbers and deadlines. Oregon allows citizens to propose new laws or constitutional amendments directly, and to refer legislature-passed bills to voters through the referendum process.

Oregon's process

To start, chief petitioners file a prospective petition (Secretary of State form SEL 310) and gather 1,000 sponsorship signatures. The Elections Division then forwards the petition to the Attorney General, who drafts an impartial ballot title. Only after the ballot title process concludes and the Elections Division approves circulation can petitioners begin gathering the full signature count needed to qualify.

Oregon's Constitution requires that each measure address only one subject. Unlike many initiative states, Oregon does not require signatures to be geographically distributed across a set number of counties, so a petition can qualify on signatures gathered anywhere in the state.

Deadlines and numbers

• Statutory initiative: 6% of total votes cast for governor at the last election (117,173 signatures, based on 2022's totals)
• Constitutional amendment: 8% of total votes cast for governor at the last election (156,231 signatures, based on 2022's totals)
• Referendum: 4% of total votes cast for governor at the last election
• Sponsorship threshold to start the ballot title process: 1,000 signatures on the prospective petition
• Signature submission deadline: no later than 4 months before the next general election
• Circulation cycle: one cycle per measure within a 2-year period, giving roughly 2 years to gather signatures
• Geographic distribution requirement: none

Where to go

• Secretary of State, Elections Division: sos.oregon.gov/elections/Pages/statelaw.aspx
• State Initiative and Referendum Manual (PDF)
• Elections Division: 503-986-1518, oregonvotes.gov

Rules

Oregon's process has two distinct phases most people miss: a small 1,000-signature sponsorship step to get an official ballot title from the Attorney General, and then the real signature drive against the 6%, 8%, or 4% thresholds depending on measure type. Skipping straight to gathering signatures without the sponsorship step and ballot title first isn't how the process works.

The roughly two-year circulation window, driven by a rule limiting petitioners to one circulation cycle per measure every two years, is generous compared to many states, and the lack of any geographic distribution requirement means a well-organized urban campaign can qualify without needing rural signatures spread across counties. That's a real structural advantage relative to states like Wyoming or Utah, which require signatures from a minimum number of counties or legislative districts.

One gap: no dedicated monetary filing fee for the state initiative prospective petition was found in Oregon statute, Secretary of State materials, or the state manual. This reads as no fee for state-level initiatives, but confirm directly with the Elections Division before assuming that holds for your specific measure. For anything Oregon-specific this page doesn't answer, route to /engage.