Oregon lawmakers who participated in 2023 legislative walkout officially banned from reelection

Dianne Lugo, Salem Statesman Journal
·3 min read
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As Republican senators announce they won’t return until June, the Senate floor on May 23 sits uninhabited.
As Republican senators announce they won’t return until June, the Senate floor on May 23 sits uninhabited.
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Lawmakers who participated in the legislative walkout this year will not be able to file to run for reelection in 2024, Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade announced Tuesday.

Ten lawmakers accumulated more than 10 unexcused absences during the 2023 legislative session, triggering for the first time the voter-approved Measure 113.

The measure passed in November following several years of frustration with legislative walkouts. Republicans in Oregon have walked out seven times since 2019, halting all legislative work due to the state's unique two-thirds quorum rule.

2023 walkout

During 2023's legislative session, the lawmakers walked out in protest over bills surrounding gun control, abortion, and gender-affirming care.

Nine Oregon Republican lawmakers and one Independent lawmaker halted work in the building for six weeks before reaching a deal with Democrats and ending the longest walkout in state history just days before the session was set to end.

During the walkout, Republican leadership said they planned to challenge Measure 113 in court.

On the last day of the legislative session, Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, asked Senate President Rob Wagner to retroactively excuse the absences. Wagner declined to answer the request on the floor but later told reporters it was a request he had already denied. Republicans knew the consequences, he said.

Secretary's interpretation

The constitution now reads that 10 or more absences "shall disqualify the member from holding office as a Senator or Representative for the term following the election after the member's current term is completed."

Some have argued that the language of the measure could be interpreted to allow lawmakers to serve an additional term after accumulating the absences and then be barred for the term after that.

Griffin-Valade in her announcement formally disagreed with that interpretation.

“It is clear voters intended Measure 113 to disqualify legislators from running for reelection if they had 10 or more unexcused absences in a legislative session,” Griffin-Valade said in her statement. “My decision honors the voters’ intent by enforcing the measure the way it was commonly understood when Oregonians added it to our state constitution.”

She said the explanatory statement in voters' pamphlet, ballot title, and news coverage made similar interpretations.

Courts have "emphasized" that voters' intent matters when interpreting the text of adopted ballot measures, she added.

She has directed the Oregon Elections Division to bar lawmakers disqualified under the measure from filing to run for office.

Impacted Oregon lawmakers

These are the lawmakers disqualified from reelection under Measure 113:

  • Sen. Daniel Bonham, R-Dalles.

  • Sen. Lynn Findley, R-John Day.

  • Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena.

  • Sen. Cedric Hayden, R-Springfield.

  • Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend.

  • Sen. Dennis Linthicum, R-Klamath Falls.

  • Sen. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer.

  • Sen. Art Robinson, R-Cave Junction.

  • Sen. Suzanne Weber, R-Tillamook.

  • Sen. Brian Boquist, I-Dallas.

Republicans plan to sue

In an emailed statement, Knopp said Wagner had assigned "arbitrary, capricious and retaliatory unexcused absences" during the session on members "who challenged his failed leadership."

"It appears the Democrat Attorney General and the Democrat Secretary of State are willing to cover for the Democrat Senate President Rob Wagner’s decision to ensure Measure 113 quashes the free speech of minority Senate Republicans as it was designed to do by political special interests," Knopp said in the statement.

Knopp reiterated their intent to sue.

"We believe the plain language of Measure 113 allows for members to run again in 2024 elections. We disagree with the Secretary of State’s determination and will challenge it in court," he added.

Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her atdlugo@statesmanjournal.com or on Twitter @DianneLugo.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon lawmakers who walked out in 2023 banned from reelection