Congressional and legislative plans are enacted by the Oregon Legislative Assembly, subject to the Governor’s veto. If the Legislative Assembly fails to pass a congressional plan, the Marion County Circuit Court can be petitioned to assume authority. If it fails to pass a legislative plan, authority passes to the Secretary of State.
Oregon’s congressional delegation grew from 5 seats to 6 (a gain of 1 seat) following the 2020 reapportionment.
Primary Authority: The Oregon Legislative Assembly draws and enacts congressional plans, subject to the Governor’s veto. The Legislative Assembly can override a veto with a 2/3 vote in each chamber. No party currently has a veto-proof majority in either chamber.
If a bill is presented to the governor during session, the governor has 5 days to sign or veto it; otherwise, it becomes law without signature. If the bill is delivered to the governor during the last 5 days of the session, the governor must sign or veto it within 30 days of session adjournment; otherwise, it becomes law. Saturdays and Sundays are excluded from these calculations.
Mapping Timeline: The Legislative Assembly must hold at least 10 public hearings throughout the state prior to proposing a congressional plan and, after one is proposed, must hold 5 additional public hearings throughout the state prior to adopting a final plan. While there is no deadline for the Legislative Assembly to enact a final congressional plan, if they fail to do so by July 1 of the regular session in the year following the decennial census, any voter can file a petition and proposed plan in the Marion County Circuit Court by August 1 of that year requesting the court adopt a congressional redistricting plan. [Ore. Rev. Stat. §§ 188.016; 188.125]
Redistricting Criteria: As nearly as practicable, congressional districts must: be contiguous, be of equal population, utilize existing geographic or political boundaries, not divide communities of common interest; and be connected by transportation links.
PROHIBITED: Drawn for the purpose of favoring or disfavoring any political party, incumbent legislator or other person; drawn for the purpose of diluting the voting strength of any language or ethnic minority group. [Ore. Rev. Stat. § 188.010]
Public Input & Transparency: Prior to proposing a congressional plan, the Legislative Assembly must hold at least 10 public hearings, including at least 1 in each of the state’s congressional districts and at least 1 in areas that have experienced the largest shifts in population since the previous decennial census. To the extent practicable, after proposing a plan but before adopting one, they must hold 5 public hearings, including at least 1 in the areas with the largest population shifts. Appropriate public notice must be given of the time and location of each hearing, and provisions must be made for individuals to provide public testimony remotely thereat. [Ore. Rev. Stat. § 188.016]
Map Challenges: On or before August 1 of the year following the decennial census, any voter can file a petition in the Marion County Circuit Court challenging the Legislative Assembly’s congressional plan as violating any applicable requirements. In the same time frame, if the Legislative Assembly failed to enact a plan by July 1 of that year, any voter can file a petition in the Marion County Circuit Court requesting that the court complete congressional redistricting.
For both types of petitions, the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court appoints a special judicial panel consisting of one judge serving as a judge pro tempore from each of the state’s congressional districts. The Chief Justice selects one of the appointed judges to preside over the matter and make all procedural and evidentiary rulings.
For challenges to an enacted plan, the panel must decide whether to dismiss the petition by September 1 and, if it is dismissed, the petitioner can appeal to the Oregon Supreme Court by filing a notice on or before September 15. For petitions not dismissed, the panel must render its decision by October 1, which can be appealed to the Oregon Supreme Court by filing a notice on or before October 15. If the panel strikes down an enacted plan, or if no plan was enacted, they may create their own plan.
There are varying procedures and timelines specified for appeals at the Oregon Supreme Court depending on the panel decision being appealed. [Ore. Rev. Stat. § 188.125]
Primary Authority: Legislative plans are enacted by the Oregon Legislative Assembly, subject to the Governor’s veto. The Legislative Assembly can override a veto with a 2/3 vote in each chamber. No party currently has a veto-proof majority in either chamber. [Ore. Const. art. IV, § 6]
If a bill is presented to the governor during session, the governor has 5 days to sign or veto it; otherwise, it becomes law without signature. If the bill is delivered to the governor during the last 5 days of the session, the governor must sign or veto it within 30 days of session adjournment; otherwise, it becomes law. Saturdays and Sundays are excluded from these calculations.
Backup Authority: If the Legislative Assembly fails to enact legislative plans by its deadline, authority passes to the Secretary of State which must file its final plans with the Oregon Supreme Court by August 15 of the odd-numbered year regular session following the decennial census. There are slightly modified public input and map challenges procedures for this backup process. [Ore. Const. art. IV, § 6]
Mapping Timeline: The Legislative Assembly must hold at least 10 public hearings throughout the state prior to proposing legislative plans and, after proposing them, must hold 5 additional public hearings throughout the state prior to adopting final plans. The Legislative Assembly must enact final plans by July 1 of the odd-numbered year regular session next following the decennial census. If it fails, authority passes to the Secretary of State. Maps become effective on either the 2nd Monday in January of the next odd-numbered year after the deadline for final plans or January 1 of the calendar year next following the deadline for final plans. [Ore. Const. art. IV, § 6; Ore. Rev. Stat. § 188.016]
Redistricting Criteria:
Public Input & Transparency: Prior to proposing a congressional plan, the Legislative Assembly must hold at least 10 public hearings, including at least 1 in each of the state’s congressional districts and at least 1 in areas that have experienced the largest shifts in population since the previous decennial census. To the extent practicable, after proposing a plan but before adopting one, they must hold 5 public hearings, including at least 1 in the areas with the largest population shifts. Appropriate public notice must be given of the time and location of each hearing, and provisions must be made for individuals to provide public testimony remotely thereat. [Ore. Rev. Stat. § 188.016]
Map Challenges: On or before August 1 of the reapportionment year, any voter can petition the Oregon Supreme Court to review a Legislative Assembly’s legislative plan. If the Court upholds the plan, it must issue its decision by September 1 of that year. If it strikes down the plan, the Court must issue its decision specifically identifying the plan’s deficiencies and file it with the Secretary of State on or before September 15. The Secretary must then hold at least one public hearing and file a corrected plan with the Court on or before November 1 of that year. On or before November 15 of that year, the Court must review the corrected plan and, if struck down again, the Court may make corrections to the plan as necessary. [Ore. Const. art. IV, § 6]
Types of Measures: Direct initiatives are permitted to amend statutes and the state constitution, and referendums are permitted to amend statutes. Legislatively initiated ballot measures may amend both statutes and the state constitution.
Single-Subject Rule: Yes.
Initiative Subject Restrictions: No.
Signature Requirements: 1000 preliminary signatures are required. Constitutional amendments require signatures equal to 8% of all votes cast for gubernatorial candidates in the last general election, 6% for statutory amendments, and 4% for referendums. 1,952,883 people voted for a gubernatorial candidate in the 2022 general election in Oregon, so 156,231 are required for constitutional amendments, 117,173 for statutory amendments, and 78,116 for referendums.
Submission Deadlines: Initiative petitions must be submitted no less than 4 months prior to the election in which the petition is to appear on the ballot (July 5, 2024). Referendums must be submitted within 90 days after the end of the session in which the law was passed.
Circulation Period: There is no circulation period, but generally must be less than 2 years due to biannual votes.
Ballot Title and Summary: The ballot title and summary are drafted by the Attorney General. After receiving public comments, the final version is also written by the Attorney General. Expedited reviews for titles and summaries are permitted.
Other Requirements: A fiscal impact statement is required. Measures that include a proposition to amend voting requirements need a supermajority to be passed. The supermajority required is the percentage of votes proposed in the measure. The Legislature can amend or repeal a statutory initiative through a majority vote. The Legislature can amend or repeal an amendment through a majority vote in both chambers of the Legislature. Initiatives are permitted on general election ballots, but not on primary or special election or odd-year ballots.
[Ore. Const. art. II, § 23; art. IV, § 1; Ore. Rev. Stat. §§ 250.005 – 250.150; Oregon State Initiative and Referendum Manual]
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Current districts for Oregon by chamber, shaded by the incumbent’s party.
To view past district shapefiles, see our Map Archive Page.
