Measure 107 – Vote No
Ballot Title: Amends Constitution: Allows laws limiting political campaign contributions and expenditures, requiring disclosure of political campaign contributions and expenditures, and requiring political campaign advertisements to identify who paid for them.
Advance Liberty Explanation:
This Constitutional Amendment would allow the Oregon Legislature to set limits on political campaign contributions and expenditures. These limits are currently forbidden by the Constitution. It would also require campaign ads to show who paid for them.
Advance Liberty Commentary
In 1722, Benjamin Franklin wrote: “Whoever would overthrow the Liberty of a Nation must begin by subduing the Freeness of Speech.” If passed, Measure 107 would restrain, and thus subdue, your freedom of political speech.
The Oregon Constitution, in guaranteeing freedom of speech, explicitly prohibits laws that would restrict election spending in Oregon. Measure 107 would reverse that, allowing limits on campaign spending. Such limits, in essence, are restraints on our political speech. It would pave the way for restrictions on how the average Oregonian could use his money to freely express his views into the political arena. We have the right to speak freely, to spend our money to advance that speech, and to join together with others in such advocacy. Measure 107 would interfere with these rights. Proverbs 31:8 tells us to “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.” The implication is that we actually have a duty to speak truth into the political arena. Measure 107 is a threat to that duty and to our liberty. All public policy organizations–pro-family, conservative and liberal alike–would lose much of their ability to educate voters or support candidates. More importantly, voters would be far less educated about candidate philosophies and positions on issues at election time.
Pragmatically, the result of such laws is the unjust empowerment of the rich. The US Supreme Court has ruled it is unconstitutional to limit the amount an individual can spend on his own political campaign. Add political spending limits on all others, and it increasingly becomes the case that only the rich can run successfully for office.
Another concern is the Measure’s requirement of disclosure of who paid for what ads. Such knowledge can be useful, of course. But cancel culture and violent reprisals against conservatives gives us pause concerning this disclosure requirement.
In 2006, a similar measure was put before the voters. We urged a No vote. We were right then and we urge the same this year. Vote No on Measure 107.
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