Volunteers Skyler Knight, Stephen Lindsey and Jeff Owrey, from left, lined up for a snapshot Tuesday at their petition-signing station at Second and Washington.
On a bike ride Tuesday afternoon, I came across another petition-signing station in the referendum drive for an election on the legislature’s transportation tax increase.
This one was outside of the Albany Post Office at Second Avenue and Washington Street. I mention it here because one of the most-asked questions on social media seems to be: “Where do I go to sign?”
The volunteers outside the post office told me that this particular sign-up spot will be there everyday throughout the signature campaign. I didn’t ask for specifics, but I think they meant on weekdays when the post office is open.
The statewide referendum campaign needs more than 78,000 signatures by Dec. 30 to stop the transportation funding bill from taking effect pending the general election in November 2026.
The sponsors have said they are shooting to collect at least 100,000 signatures.
Over Republican objections, the legislature in September passed a bill to raise the state gas tax 6 cents to 46 cents a gallon starting Dec. 31. The bill also raises vehicle registration and licensing fees and temporarily doubles the state transit payroll tax to 0.2 percent.
Together, the increases are said to raise about $4.3 billion in additional money over the next 10 years.
As for the question about where to find the petitions for an election on the increases, go online to “No Oregon Tax.” On Tuesday it showed 14 petition locations in Albany. (hh)
Hasso I wanted to introduce myself today but was running late. I have been reading the great stories that you have written over the past several years of since moving to Albany.
Please keep up the excellent work keeping us informed from an unbiased position.
Thanks
I wish the volunteers would also ask petitioners to remember who passed this legislation in the first place, and then to replace their legislator if he or she was responsible for its passage.
Sounds reasonable. However, majority of folks I interact with while volunteering at the Carousel, don’t even know who their City Councilor is. Would be a stretch to expect them to know who their state legislators are IMO…
That’s the reason the democrats have run the state into a hole that would take years to get out of even with quality leadership.
While that may be true, it all starts at the local level. Election turnout is dismal. How do we change that??
you can’t change apathy Ray. It’s much easier to bitch about elected officials than to mark a ballot and put it in the mail.
True that! :-)