Confusing ballot title obscured public safety intent of Measure 88
November 5, 2014 - Measure 88 would have increased public safety in Oregon by ensuring that all drivers who travel our roads have demonstrated safe driving and knowledge of the rules of the road – and can obtain liability insurance. This election has done nothing to eliminate the very real and very urgent need for all drivers to be licensed in our state.
Our coalition knew from the beginning that this was going to be a very difficult campaign. A confusing and misleading ballot title obscured the public safety and community intent and actual effects of the law. We believe this measure, as it was described on the ballot, skewed voters against the underlying idea that anyone who drives on Oregon’s roads should be licensed, because the ballot title focused on individuals who lack “proof of legal presence in United States” and stirred up fears among many voters who thought it meant that some immigrants would be granted a special privilege.
The purpose of the driver card law, passed with bipartisan support by Oregon lawmakers and signed by the Governor, was not to grant anyone special privileges, but to increase highway safety by extending the opportunity to obtain driving privileges to all Oregon residents by subjecting them to the same testing, registration and insurance requirements as all other drivers.
Unfortunately, the campaign instead became a focus for voter outrage with our broken federal immigration system. That system is in dire need of reform, but the defeat of Measure 88 did nothing to make Oregon roads safer. That issue – how we ensure that all drivers in Oregon are trained and tested before they get out on the roads—is not about immigration. It’s about common sense safety.
Over the weekend, supporters of Measure 88 did a poll among 1,213 likely voters in Oregon and asked them if they agreed or disagreed with the following statement:
Oregon should issue limited-purpose driver’s cards to individuals who can demonstrate safe driving and who prove their Oregon residency, date of birth and identity.
The results showed that an overall majority (50%-39%) agreed with this statement, with Democrats in strong agreement (65%-25%) and Republicans opposed but somewhat divided (49%-36%). These results indicate to us that when public safety is the focal point of the question, Oregonians support the goals of this measure.
Throughout this campaign, when the actual components of Measure 88 were presented to voters, we found they were very supportive of it. Despite an under-resourced campaign, Oregon’s communities organized in a way and at a scale we haven’t seen before in this state. An unprecedented coalition came together to support Measure 88 that included law enforcement, faith leaders, elected officials, and small and large businesses owners. This coalition remains committed to finding a long-term solution to reform our state’s current driver license law so that it protects public safety, rather than undermines it.
