Coming into the 2021 Legislative Session we know we must continue to push our democracy forward. While Oregon is one of the most accessible states to vote in because of policies like AVR, online and pre-registration and most recently, paid postage, there are still many gaps that need to be filled to ensure that every single eligible voter can participate in our elections. We’re excited to be able to lead and collaborate on legislative priorities in 2021 that are necessary next steps to make sure that Oregon continues to be a leader in equitable and just elections.
Some of our top priorities for the 2021 legislative session include:
- Restoration of Voting Rights for Oregonians in prison (SB 571/HB 2366)
- Civics Education Taskforce and Updates (SB 702)
- 17-year-olds voting in the primary election if 18 by the general election (HB 2679)
- Lowering the voting age to 16 for school board elections (SB 776)
- Language (HB 2944) and demographic updates (HB 2745)
- Modernizing Voter Registration by expanding Automatic Voter Registration to more state agencies and improving online voter registration (HB 2499)
- Ranked Choice Voting for all elections (HB 2678)
- Updating the deadline by which ballots must be returned to be election day (HB 3291)
- Campaign Finance Reform (SB 255 / HB 2680)
- Supporting the Fair Shot Agenda
This work can’t be done alone and if you are passionate about any of these topics there will be many opportunities to support virtually through testimony and youth lobby days. Please reach out to our Policy and Communications Manager, Isabela, at isabela@nextuporegon.org if you have any questions, or would like to discuss more about these priorities.