Oregon Public Broadcasting

Tuesday’s special election marks the final stretch for a pair of ballot measures.

At issue: Two taxes targeted at the business-community, and the well-heeled. As April Baer reports, interest in Measures 66 and 67 is not limited to Oregon’s border.

These ballot measures were born out of a budget fight in the state legislature.

Measure 66 raises income taxes for families that earn more than $250,000.

It raises nearly $500 million to balance the current state budget.  

Measure 67 raises the minimum tax corporations pay from $10 to $150.  It also changes the way most corporations are taxed. 

It raises more than $250 million to balance the current state budget.

Business-funded groups gathered signatures to get them on  the ballot. And they’ve just received help for their cause, from out-of-state.

The Republican National Committee offered some help for the final days: the phone system these volunteers are using to talk to voters is a loaner from the RNC.

The Oregon Republican Party coordinated this assistance, to help the official opposition, Oregonians Against Job Killing Taxes.  

The phone bankers aren’t doing a hard-sell. At this point, their efforts are mostly focused on encouraging voters who are already sympathetic to send in their ballots.

The same is true for the Yes on 66 and 67 campaigns, that have sent hundreds of volunteers to knock on doors, and staff phone banks.

State records only disclose contributions up to last Wednesday.

Last week the Yes campaign was still pulling in contributions – some up to five figures – from individuals, social service groups, and top political figures like Senate President Peter Courtney.

Likewise, the opposition was collecting final donations from business groups, conservative politicians, and some individuals, too.

Overall, state records show the Yes campaign, which has strong union support, has outspent business-funded opponents by almost a million dollars.

Both sides are pretty close to zeroing out their accounts, with less than ten thousand dollars left in their war chests.

Gary Malecha is chair of the political science Department at the University of Portland. He says  the vote could be an interesting test run for what the national parties hope to accomplish this November.

Gary Malecha:  “What we’re seeing in the United States is we’re starting to see this populist uprising.”

Malecha says the Yes campaign is clearly banking on residual anger over the financial crisis, the subsequent real estate meltdown and waves of layoffs that have brought  unemployment rates in some Oregon counties  down to historic lows.

On the flip side, No campaigners are trying to tap into fears about government spending that have drawn crowds to town halls.  Malecha says a lot will depend on who can turn populist anger into political advantage.

Gary Malecha  “It’s a debate we see replicated at the national level. How does one pull out of an economic downturn?”

At this point, it’s too late to mail in those ballots. Oregonians who have yet to vote must turn in envelopes at ballot drops all over the state.