Current News

Letter to the editor

A state commission on government ethics could be strengthened and more independent, state auditors said in a report Wednesday.

Oregon state auditors released a report Wednesday that recommended several opportunities for legislators and other officials to strengthen the state's ethics laws and increase the independence of the state's ethics commission.

Oregon lawmakers’ interest in capping political money was never particularly high this session — no Democratic leaders listed it as a priority — and now appears to be withering.

The auditor’s office informed the alliance Monday that officials had discovered a spate of violations after launching a review of possible undisclosed lobbying efforts by the group.

Senate Bill 224 would allow unlimited PAC donations to candidates in Montana, while substantially raising limits on contributions by individuals and political parties to campaigns.

A group that failed to get a redistricting initiative before Oregon voters last year is laying the groundwork to get a similar petition on the ballot in 2022.

New campaign finance laws known as Ballot Measure 2, passed by voters in November, are beginning to sting the Forrest Dunbar campaign. In the current attack ad against opponent Dave Bronson launched by supporters of Forrest Dunbar, the disclaimer at the end of the ad admits that “A majority of contributions to Building a Stronger […]

The jockeying to ensure just an equal number of Republicans as Democrats on a critical committee reflects again the need for Oregon to adopt an independent commission for drawing legislative and congressional boundaries, the editorial board writes.

Montana has among the country’s strictest donation limits for nearly every type of contribution to individual candidates, be it at the statewide or district level.

Election reform advocates have proposed at the Oregon Legislature competing overhauls to how the state conducts its elections.

Sonoma County officials said Bill Gallaher’s infusion of $295,000 into a recall campaign against Jill Ravitch violates local spending limits. An attorney for the developer says the spending limits are unconstitutional.

Oregon law currently bars legislators and other public officials from accepting more than $50 per year from any entity that wants to influence a government decision. Lawmakers are considering eliminating that limit.

Oregon lawmakers are considering whether to adopt limits on how much individuals and groups can contribute to political candidates, after voters overwhelmingly approved a state constitutional amendment in November to make clear such limits are allowed.

Heard is one of three current or former Republican state senators who swept into party leadership after a vote Saturday.

Jan. 6 didn’t end corporate PAC contributions, and sunlight isn’t the best disinfectant.

An unusually large number of voters have disavowed their Republican party identities over the past 2 months, particularly in Washington County, where the number of Republicans fell by nearly 1,900, or 2.3%

Questions again arise about what special interests receive for the large donations they make to Utah legislators.

Questions again arise about what special interests receive for the large donations they make to Utah legislators.

With Aurora joining Denver, Fort Collins and Lakewood in revamping rules on campaign finance in local races, four of the state’s five most populous cities will have controls on the books.

With Aurora joining Denver, Fort Collins and Lakewood in revamping rules on campaign finance in local races, four of the state’s five most populous cities will have controls on the books.

Amy Rathfelder as of last week was no longer part of Wheeler’s campaign, which has since hired Danny O’Halloran to replace her as campaign director.

An attempt to take the redrawing of congressional and legislative district lines out of the hands of the Oregon Legislature and governor has failed following an intense legal battle.

Political spending in state elections by LLC's and nonprofit groups has surged in the decade since Citizens United, but some states are leading the way in strengthening disclosure laws around who’s buying and funding campaign ads.