H.B. 2614 emerges as issue in SecState race

State Senator Rick Metsger’s new television ad was perfectly timed with the Bend Bulletin’s endorsement of his candidacy for Secretary of State today.

It is the first news endorsement, and it makes much out of nonpartisanship. Although all three candidates—Metsger is running against State Sens. Vicki Walker and Kate Brown—have all talked about their nonpartisan approach to the challenges of the office, the Bulletin praises Metsger for being the only candidate to prove that approach.

As did the candidate’s ad, the Bulletin focused on the 2005 vote on H.B. 2614.

“It was a blatant act of self-interested partisanship from Democrats and Republicans to keep third-party candidates off the ballot and weaken the power of voters to sign petitions. Before the law, any registered voter could sign a petition to get an independent candidate on the ballot. Now, if a voter takes part in a partisan primary and signs a petition for an independent candidate, the signature doesn’t count. So a registered Republican or Democrat has to choose between voting for one of his or her party’s candidates in a primary, or signing a petition placing a minor party candidate running for office on the November ballot,” read the endorsement, which noted Metsger was the only one of the three to vote against the Bill.