Ballot Measure 65 was an initiated state statute ballot measure for the November 4, 2008 general election ballot in the state of Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

. If it had passed, it would have replaced the current closed primary election system, in which only registered members of a political party may vote in that party's primary races for partisan office, with a nonpartisan blanket primary.

Under Measure 65, voters would have received the same ballot regardless of their own party registration. For each partisan position, the ballot would list all candidates, also without regard for party registration. Voters would choose one candidate, and the two candidates with the most votes would advance to the November general election. The measure would have affected chapters 188.120, 254.056 and 254.115 of the Oregon Revised Statutes

Oregon Revised Statutes

The Oregon Revised Statutes is the codified body of statutory law governing the U.S. state of Oregon, as enacted by the Oregon Legislative Assembly, and occasionally by citizen initiative...

, and repealed chapters 254.025 and 254.365.

Former Oregon Secretaries of State

Oregon Secretary of State

The Secretary of State of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in line of succession to the Governor. The duties of office are: auditor of public accounts, chief elections officer, and administrator of public...

 Phil Keisling

Phil Keisling

Phil Keisling is a politician and business executive in the U.S. state of Oregon. He served as Oregon Secretary of State from 1991 to 1999...

 and Norma Paulus

Norma Paulus

Norma Paulus is an American attorney and former politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Nebraska, she was raised in Eastern Oregon before becoming a lawyer...

 were the chief petitioners in favor of the measure.

Proponents of Measure 65 argued that the closed primary unfairly excluded voters with no party affiliation, and that voters should be able to vote for any primary election candidate they wished, regardless of the party affiliation of either the voter or the candidate.
Opponents of the measure countered that every voter is free to register as a member of a political party to participate in the primary, and criticized the possibility that a general election race could have two candidates from the same party.

See also

• Blanket primary
  Blanket primary
  The blanket primary is a system used for selecting political party candidates in a primary election in the USA. In a blanket primary, voters may pick one candidate for each office without regard to party lines; for instance, a voter might select a Democratic candidate for governor and a Republican...
  
   and nonpartisan blanket primary
• Oregon state elections, 2008
  Oregon state elections, 2008
  On November 4, 2008, the US state of Oregon held statewide general elections for three statewide offices , both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, and twelve state ballot measures. The primary elections were held on May 20, 2008...
  
  
• List of Oregon ballot measures
• Washington Initiative 872 (2004)
  Washington Initiative 872 (2004)
  Initiative 872 was an Initiative to the People in 2004 that replaced the "Montana Primary" being used in Washington State with a Top-two primary...
  
  

External links

• Voter's Pamphlet information from the Oregon Secretary of State
• Yes on 65 campaign website
• No on 65 campaign website