Judge bans 10 GOP lawmakers from reelection after walking out to block Dem vote

Oregon's highest court has ruled that 10 Republican state senators who staged a weeks-long walkout in protest of the Democratic majority's policy agenda will not be allowed to run for another term.

According to the Oregonian, the ruling stemmed from the application of a statewide ballot initiative dubbed Measure 113, which voters approved in the 2022 elections. Measure 113 stipulates that any state legislator who misses 10 floor sessions without permission or excuse will be banned from serving a subsequent term.

In their arguments, five Republicans — Daniel Bonham, Lynn Findley, Minority Leader Tim Knopp, Dennis Linthicum and Suzanne Weber — argued that the "plain language" of the initiative states that they would still be allowed to seek one more term.

However, judges disagreed, saying Measure 113 is understood to immediately disqualify any lawmaker from reelection after 10 missed sessions without excuse.

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Voters overwhelmingly approved Measure 113 by a 68-31 margin in response to Republicans frequently staging walkouts in protest of various Democratic-sponsored bills concerning issues like gun reform and reproductive rights.

By walking out, Republicans sought to deny a quorum, which is the minimum number of lawmakers that must be present for legislation to be considered. In Oregon, a quorum is only met when two-thirds of lawmakers are present in the chamber. The 30-member Oregon Senate has 17 Democratic members, meaning at least three Republicans need to be present for a quorum.

The Republicans' challenge began in August of 2023 after Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Vallade found the frequently absent lawmakers disqualified to run for office again under Measure 113.

"I’ve said from the beginning my intention was to support the will of the voters," Griffin-Vallade stated this week. "It was clear to me that voters intended for legislators with a certain number of absences in a legislative session to be immediately disqualified from seeking reelection. I’m thankful to the Oregon Supreme Court for providing clarity on how to implement Measure 113."

After the ruling, the Oregonian reported that at least one of those Republicans' districts could be flipped, as Knopp's district has more registered Democrats than Republicans.