Case Name: Karen L. GARST, Petitioner, v. Hardy MYERS, Attorney General, State of Oregon, Respondent
Court: Oregon Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Oregon
Decision Date: 1999-12-16
Citations: 329 Or. 529
Docket Number: SC S46873
Parties: Karen L. GARST, Petitioner, v. Hardy MYERS, Attorney General, State of Oregon, Respondent.
Judges: VAN HOOMISSEN, J.
Reporter: Oregon Reports
Volume: 329
Pages: 529–539

Head Matter:
Argued and submitted November 8,
ballot title certified as modified December 16, 1999
Karen L. GARST, Petitioner, v. Hardy MYERS, Attorney General, State of Oregon, Respondent.
(SC S46873)
992 P2d 451
Bruce A. Bishop, of Harrang Long Gary Rudnick P.C., Salem, argued the cause for petitioner. With him on the petition was James E. Mountain Jr.
Brendan C. Dunn, Assistant Attorney General, Salem, argued the cause for respondent. With him on the answering memorandum were Hardy Myers, Attorney General, and Michael D. Reynolds, Solicitor General.
VAN HOOMISSEN, J.
Durham, J., dissented and filed an opinion in which Kulongoski, and Riggs, JJ., joined.

Opinion:
VAN HOOMISSEN, J.
Petitioner, the Executive Director of the Oregon State Bar, challenges the Attorney General's ballot title for a proposed initiative measure. She is an elector who, in a timely manner and pursuant to ORS 250.067(1), submitted written comments on the Attorney General's draft ballot title. Accordingly, petitioner is entitled to seek a different title in this court. ORS 250.085(2). We modify the Attorney General's ballot title and certify it as modified.
The proposed initiative measure would give voters in judicial elections the choice of voting for "None of the Above" by amending Article VII (Amended) of the Oregon Constitution. The proposed initiative measure follows with the proposed new wording for the Oregon Constitution set out in boldface type (our emphasis):
"PARAGRAPH 1, The Constitution of the State of Oregon is amended by creating a new section lb to be added to and made a part of Article VII (Amended), and by amending section 1, Article VII (Amended), such sections to read:
"Sec. 1. (1) The judicial power of the state shall be vested in one supreme court and in such other courts as may from time to time be created by law. The judges of the supreme court and in such other courts shall be elected by the legal voters of the state or of their respective districts for a term of six years, and shall receive such compensation as may be provided by law, which compensation shall not be diminished during the term for which they are elected. The judges of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Oregon Tax Court, circuit courts, and all other state courts which may he created by law shall be elected as provided in subsection (2) of this section.
"(2) (a) Elections to fill the office of judge of the supreme and other courts shall he conducted in the manner provided by this subsection. Positions subject to this subsection shall be filled at the general election. The term of office for a position subject to this subsection shall begin on the first Monday in January following the general election. In addition to the names of the candidates for the position, there shall be placed on the ballot for the general election an option of 'None of the Above.' Notwithstanding section 16, Article II of this Constitution, the candidate who receives the most votes in the election shall be elected to the position, unless the option of 'None of the Above' receives more votes than any candidate. If more votes are cast for the option 'None of the Above' than for any candidate, the office shall be vacant on the first Monday in January following the general election, and a special election to fill the vacancy will be held on the following second Tuesday in March. In the event that 'None of the Above' receives more votes than any of the candidates in the special election, the Governor shall fill the vacancy by appointment. Any candidate in an election who receives fewer votes than 'None of the Above' may not be appointed to fill any vacancy resulting from the operation of this subsection.
"(b) Additional provisions, consistent with this subsection, governing the appointment and election of judges of the supreme and other courts, may be created by law.
"Section lb. (1) The amendment to section 1 of this Article is first operative July 1,2001.
"(2) This section is repealed July 2,2001.
"PARAGRAPH 2. If any portion, clause or phrase of this Amendment is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining portions, clauses, and phrases shall not be affected but shall remain in full force and effect."
For that measure, the Attorney General certified to the Secretary of State the following ballot title:
"AMENDS CONSTITUTION: CHANGES JUDICIAL ELECTION PROCESS; EXPANDS GOVERNOR'S POWER TO APPOINT JUDGES
"RESULT OF TES' VOTE: Tes' vote changes current process for electing judges, and expands Governor's power to appoint judges.
"RESULT OF 'NO' VOTE: 'No' vote retains current judicial election process, rejects expansion of Governor's power to appoint judges.
"SUMMARY: Amends Constitution. Currently, judicial candidate receiving most votes is elected for 6-year term, Governor fills vacancies by appointment lasting until next general election. Measure requires 'None of the Above' option on judicial election ballots. Candidate receiving most votes wins, unless "None of the Above' option receives more votes than any candidate. In such instances, office becomes vacant, special election is held. If option again receives more votes than any of the candidates, Governor appoints judge. Candidate receiving fewer votes than option ineligible for appointment."
Petitioner challenges the caption and the result statements of the Attorney General's certified ballot title. She contends that those portions of the Attorney General's ballot title are deficient and misleading. Under ORS 250.085(5), we review those portions of the title for substantial compliance with the requirements of ORS 250.035 (1997).
CAPTION
A ballot title must contain a "caption of not more than 10 words that reasonably identifies the subject matter of the state measure." ORS 250.035(2)(a). A caption should "convey[ ] the full scope of [a] proposed measure." Bendl v. Kulongoski, 322 Or 160, 165, 902 P2d 1189 (1995). Petitioner contends that the Attorney General's caption does not comply substantially with those requirements.
Petitioner first contends that the Attorney General's caption fails to identify the subject of the measure. She argues that the subject matter of the measure, and its unambiguous purpose, is to allow voters the option to choose "None of the Above" instead of one of the declared candidates for judicial office. Petitioner notes that the phrase "None of the Above" appears fives time in section (2)(a) of the proposed measure. She asserts that the Attorney General's caption is deficient, because it tells voters only that there will be changes in the judicial election process without informing them what those changes will be.
Petitioner next contends that the Attorney General's caption incorrectly characterizes the measure as one that "expands" the Governor's power to appoint judges. She argues that Article V, section 16, of the Oregon Constitution, already gives the Governor the power to fill vacancies injudicial office and that the measure does not amend that provision explicitly. She asserts that, although the measure might increase the Governor's "opportunity" to fill vacancies injudicial office, it does not "expand" the Governor's constitutional power to do so. Accordingly, she argues that the Attorney General's identification of this as a subject of the measure is, at best, speculative. We agree with both of petitioner's arguments.
The centerpiece of the proposed initiative measure is the addition of the "None of the Above" option injudicial elections. That option appears five times in the text of the measure, yet it is not mentioned in the Attorney General's ballot title until the summary. We conclude that the Attorney General's text in the caption, "Changes Judicial Election Process; Expands Governor's Power to Appoint Judges" fails to inform voters about the subject matter of the measure.
Because the Attorney General's caption fails to reasonably identify the subject matter of the measure, it fails to comply substantially with the requirements of ORS 250.035(2)(a). Accordingly, we modify the Attorney General's caption as follows:
AMENDS CONSTITUTION: CHANGES JUDICIAL ELECTIONS; ALLOWS VOTE FOR "NONE OF THE ABOVE"
RESULT STATEMENTS
ORS 250.035(2)(b) and (c) require a "simple and understandable statement of not more than 15 words that describes the result if the state measure is approved," and a "simple and understandable statement of not more than 15 words that describes the result if the state measure is rejected." Those statements "shall be written so that, to the extent practicable, the language of the two statements is parallel." ORS 250.035(3). Petitioner contends that the Attorney General's "yes" and "no" result statements are inadequate and misleading and, thus, do not comply substantially with the requirements of ORS 250.035(2)(b) and (c).
For the reasons explained above in connection with the caption, we conclude that the Attorney General's result statements do not describe the result of approval or rejection of the measure and, consequently, they do not comply substantially with ORS 250.035(2)(b) and (c). It has been this court's practice in that circumstance to modify result statements to conform to modified captions. See Phillips v. Myers, 325 Or 221, 227, 936 P2d 964 (1997) (so stating). Accordingly, we modify the result statements as follows:
RESULT OF "YES" VOTE: "Yes" vote changes current process for electing judges, allows vote for "None of the Above."
RESULT OF "NO" VOTE: "No" vote retains current process of electing judges, candidate receiving most votes is elected.
We modify the Attorney General's ballot title and certify to the Secretary of State the following ballot title:
AMENDS CONSTITUTION: CHANGES JUDICIAL ELECTIONS; ALLOWS VOTE FOR "NONE OF THE ABOVE"
RESULT OF "YES" VOTE: "Yes" vote changes current process for electing judges, allows vote for "None of the Above."
RESULT OF "NO" VOTE: "No" votes retains current process for electing judges, candidate receiving most votes is elected.
SUMMARY: Amends Constitution. Currently, judicial candidate receiving most votes is elected for 6-year term, Governor .fills vacancies by appointment lasting until next general election. Measure requires "None of the Above" option on judicial election ballots. Candidate receiving most votes wins, unless "None of the Above" option receives more votes than any candidate. In such instances, office becomes vacant, special election is held. If option again receives more votes than any of the candidates, Governor appoints judge. Candidates receiving fewer votes than option ineligible for appointment.
Ballot title certified as modified. This decision shall become effective in accordance with ORAP 11.30(10).
During oral argument before this court, petitioner abandoned her challenge to the summary contained in the Attorney General's certified ballot title.
Article V, section 16, of the Oregon Constitution, provides:
"When during a recess of the legislative assembly a vacancy occurs in any office, the appointment to which is vested in the legislative assembly, or when at any time a vacancy occurs in any other state office, or in the office of judge of any court, the governor shall fill such vacancy by appointment, which shall expire when a successor has been elected and qualified. When any vacancy occurs in any elective office of the state or of any district or county thereof, the vacancy shall be filled at the next general election, provided such vacancy occurs more than sixty-one (61) days prior to such general election."