Case Title: Martin/Bendl v. Myers

Citation: 

Docket Number: S53366

State: oregon

Court: Oregon Supreme Court

Date: 2006-05-18T00:00:00Z

Document:
FILED: May 18, 2006
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF OREGON
MELISSA MARTIN,
Petitioner,
v.
HARDY MYERS,
Attorney General,
State of Oregon,
Respondent.
RUTH BENDL,
Petitioner,
v.
HARDY MYERS,
Attorney General,
State of Oregon,
Respondent.
(SC S53366, S53367)
(Consolidated for opinion)
En Banc
On petitions to review ballot title.
Submitted on the record May 15, 2006.
James M. Brown, Salem, filed the petition for petitioner
Melissa Martin.
Ruth Bendl filed the petition in propria persona.
Steven R. Powers, Assistant Attorney General, Salem, filed
the answering memorandum for respondent.  With him on the
answering memorandum were Hardy Myers, Attorney General, and Mary
H. Williams, Solicitor General.
BALMER, J.
Ballot title certified as modified.
BALMER, J.
These consolidated ballot title review proceedings
brought under ORS 250.085(2) concern the Attorney General's
certified ballot title for an initiative that the Secretary of
State has denominated as Initiative Petition 150 (2006). 
Initiative Petition 150, if adopted, would amend the Oregon
Constitution to impose certain restrictions on political campaign
contributions.
Petitioners are electors who timely submitted written
comments to the Secretary of State concerning the Attorney
General's draft ballot title and who therefore are entitled to
seek review in this court of the resulting certified ballot
title.  See ORS 250.085(2) (stating that requirement).  We review
the Attorney General's certified ballot title to determine
whether it substantially complies with the requirements of ORS
250.035(2)(a) to (d).  ORS 250.085(5).  
We have considered the various challenges to the
certified ballot title that each petitioner advances.  In our
view, only one has merit.  Petitioner Martin and petitioner Bendl
both point out that the "no" vote result statement contains a
typographical error.  As certified by the Attorney General, that
statement provides:
"RESULT OF 'NO' VOTE:  'No' vote retains Oregon
constitutional prohibition on laws imposing
involuntarily limitations on contributions to support
or oppose candidates by any person or by any entity."
(Emphasis added.)  
Both petitioners assert that the emphasized word is
erroneous, and that the correct word is "involuntary."  The
Attorney General acknowledges the error and agrees that the word
"involuntary" should be substituted for the incorrect word
"involuntarily."
We agree that, because of the use of the word
"involuntarily," the "no" vote result statement does not
substantially comply with the requirements of ORS 250.035(2)(c). 
We therefore turn to the appropriate disposition of this
proceeding.  As this court recently explained in Straube/McEvilly
v. Myers, 340 Or 395, 399, ___ P3d ___ (2006), ORS 250.085(8)
gives this court statutory authority either to refer a ballot
title that does not substantially comply with ORS 250.035 to the
Attorney General for modification or "to correct an errant ballot
title and to certify the resulting ballot title to the Secretary
of State * * *."  As in Straube, the ballot title error that we
have identified in this proceeding is only typographical.  And,
as in Straube, we conclude that this court should correct the
error and certify the corrected ballot title to the Secretary of
State.
For those reasons, we certify the following ballot
title for Initiative Measure 150 (2006) to the Secretary of
State:
AMENDS CONSTITUTION: PROHIBITS CORPORATIONS, UNIONS FROM
CONTRIBUTING "TREASURY FUNDS" (UNDEFINED) TO CANDIDATE CAMPAIGNS; CAPS INDIVIDUAL'S YEARLY CONTRIBUTIONS
RESULT OF "YES" VOTE:  "Yes" vote amends
constitution to prohibit corporate, union "treasury
fund" (undefined) contributions to political candidate
campaigns; caps individual's yearly candidate committee
contributions at $15,000.
RESULT OF "NO" VOTE:  "No" vote retains Oregon
constitutional prohibition on laws imposing involuntary
limitations on contributions to support or oppose
candidates by any person or by any entity.
SUMMARY:  Amends Constitution.  Oregon
Constitution currently prohibits laws that impose
involuntary limitations on political campaign
contributions by any person or by any entity.  Measure
prohibits corporations and labor organizations from
contributing "treasury funds" (undefined) to any
candidate for nomination/election to a state or local
public office or to any political committee supporting
or opposing a candidate for state or local public
office.  Measure caps an individual's total
contributions to all candidates and political
committees supporting or opposing candidates for
nomination/election for all state and local public
offices to $15,000 per calendar year; cap does not
apply to candidate's contributions to his or her own
campaign.  Measure requires Secretary of State to
adjust individual contribution cap annually for changes
in consumer prices.  Other provisions.
Ballot title certified as modified.