Citizens’ Initiative Review Panel Selection Underway

Citizens’ Initiative Review Panel Selection Underway

Process will result in New Voter’s Pamphlet statement

Healthy Democracy Oregon (HDO) announces that the panel selection process for the Citizens’ Initiative Review (CIR) is now underway with the mailing of 10,000 letters to randomly-selected Oregon voters inviting them to participate in an historic event.

The CIR is a reform to Oregon’s initiative process meant to provide voters with clear, useful and trustworthy evaluations of statewide ballot measures.  The evaluations are conducted by ‘citizens panels’—randomly-selected and demographically-balanced groups of 24 Oregon voters. The letters mailed this week encourage recipients to complete a short survey and return it if they would like to be included in a ‘jury pool’ from which panelists will selected. On July 1^st, Healthy Democracy Oregon will hold a public event in Salem to select the final panelists.   

“It’s a very special opportunity for voters to participate in these Reviews, and to take part in a groundbreaking reform to Oregon’s initiative process” said HDO Co-Director Elliot Shuford. 

In August, selected panelists will participate in balanced hearings where advocates and policy experts present arguments and facts about a ballot measure.  After five days of testimony and deliberation, the panelists will craft a ‘Citizens’ Statement’ to be published in the Oregon Voter’s Pamphlet.  The Statement will detail the most important information and ‘key findings’ about the measures and will also report the number of panelists who support or oppose the measure based on their evaluation. Two Reviews will be conducted this August, in Salem.

The goal of the CIR is to help voters cut through the “clutter,” according to HDO Co-Director, Tyrone Reitman.  “Campaigns and interest groups spend millions on carefully-crafted messages and sound bites that are primarily meant to influence, not inform. The CIR provides voters with a new tool for sorting through the political noise at election time.”

The Citizens’ Initiative Review is a project of Healthy Democracy Oregon, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization committed to strengthening citizen ownership of, and integrity to, the ballot initiative process.

Oregon voters can learn more at: http://www.healthydemocracyoregon.org