Organizers say state initiative is on track for November 2014

by Mike Andrew - SGN Staff Writer

Basic Rights Oregon, the state's leading LGBT rights group, says it is on track in its campaign to put a marriage equality initiative on the ballot in November 2014.

The group announced its plans February 15 and has already made substantial progress, according to Jeana Frazzini, BRO's executive director.

'We filed the paperwork for the committee, and we collected our sponsor signatures within days,' she told SGN by phone. 'We got signers from 29 of our 36 counties, representing 97% of [Oregon's] population.'

Oregon state law requires groups that intend to petition for a ballot measure to file 1,000 'sponsor' signatures before they can circulate petitions to the general public. With that now out of the way, Frazzini says, the next step is for the state attorney general to approve the draft ballot language. After that, petitions can go out for public signatures.

'We're in the beginning stages now,' Frazzini told SGN. 'We expect to have the qualifying petitions out in mid- to late-summer this year.'

PUBLIC VOTE UNAVOIDABLE
Basic Rights Oregon had to mount an initiative campaign rather than introduce a marriage bill in the state legislature as Washington did, Frazzini explained, because in 2004 Oregon voters passed a constitutional amendment limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples.

'There was no way around a public vote,' she said. 'The legislature was not an option.'

In the intervening nine years, public opinion has swung to the side of equality, she added. 'The most recent PPP poll, from December last year, showed 54% for equality.'

Frazzini says her organization is not taking anything for granted, however.

'There is opposition. It won't be a slam dunk. We watched Washington and we anticipate the same kind of thing. We'll probably need 10,000 volunteers and millions of dollars.'

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED
Running the initiative in 2014 may be risky because it is a non-presidential election year when turnout is lower, and voters who do go to the polls tend to be older and more conservative. Frazzini also notes that Oregon has a blue-red division much like Washington's. Nevertheless, she remains optimistic.

'There are some similarities [between Washington and Oregon] in terms of geographical differences, but we have a long history of organizing statewide,' she says. 'The Ashland City Council has gone on record supporting marriage equality. And the mayor of Bend.'

Asked what SGN readers could do to help, Frazzini said, 'First, contact everyone they know in Oregon.'

She continued, 'A lot of [Washingtonians] live right across the river. Many folks go back and forth all the time. We were proud we helped Washington. We were honored.

'We've talked about equality for so many years, now we have an opportunity to make this true across the Northwest.'

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