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Lawmakers object to proposal moving referendum from November to May primary
Summary
Several House members on Feb. 11 objected to Senate Bill 1599, which would move the vote date for Referendum Petition 2026‑302 from the November general election to the May primary. Opponents said shifting the date would undermine voter expectations and participation.
Multiple members of the Oregon House spoke on the floor Feb. 11 to oppose Senate Bill 1599, which would move the vote on Referendum Petition 2026‑302 from the November general election to the May primary.
Representative Helfrich said more than 2,500 Oregonians signed the petition expecting a November vote and argued moving the referendum to May would undermine voters' expectations and erode trust in the democratic process. "This is not about the merits of transportation funding package. It's about honoring the commitment we made to our voters," he said.
Representative Bossard Davis later told colleagues that roughly 250,000 Oregonians signed the petition asking for a November referendum and cited prior testimony volumes (including 6,400 pieces of testimony on an earlier bill and "more than 4,000" on the current matter) to stress public opposition to changing the date. She characterized changing the ballot timing as disregarding voters' intent.
Speakers framed the issue as procedural and democratic: opponents urged lawmakers to leave the referendum on the November ballot so turnout would be higher and the electorate more representative. The floor discussion in the transcript consists of remonstrances (statements of objection); there is no recorded final vote on SB 1599 in the provided excerpt.
