Oregon ballot measures: 3 decisions, 2 not yet called

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregonians weighed in on five statewide ballot measures that dealt with impeachments, officials' salaries, ranked-choice voting, corporate minimum taxes and unions for those in the legal cannabis industry.

By 10 p.m. three of the ballot measures were called by the Associated Press -- the impeachment of elected state officials, the corporate tax hike and ranked choice voting.

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Below is a quick overview of each ballot measure and what the early vote totals show.

Measure 115

Voters approved this measure.

The only way to remove statewide elected officials for various conduct is by recall election.

Measure 115 will amend the state constitution to allow the House of Representatives to impeach statewide elected officials in the executive branch – including the governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general, and the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries -- for malfeasance, corrupt conduct in office, willful neglect of constitutional duty, felonies and other high crimes. The measure requires a two-thirds vote from the House to send an impeachment resolution to the Senate. The Senate would need a two-thirds vote to convict the official on trial.

Measure 116

Under current law, salaries for certain officials are set by a statute and can only be changed through legislation.

Measure 116 would amend the state constitution to establish the Independent Public Service Commission to determine salaries for certain officials. The commission would determine salaries for the governor, state treasurer, attorney general, BOLI commissioner, judges, state lawmakers, and district attorneys. Salaries determined by the commission would not be subject to review by the legislature, governor, or other state officials. Commission membership would exclude state employees, lobbyists and immediate family members of the officials.

Measure 117

Voters rejected this ballot measure

Measure 117 would have given voters, beginning in 2028, the option to rank candidates in order of preference -- also known as ranked-choice voting. Under this system, the candidate who receives the fewest votes is defeated and the votes for the defeated candidate would go to a voter’s next highest pick. This continues until a candidate receives a majority of votes. The ranked-choice system would have applied to elections for president, United States senators and representatives, the governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general, and BOLI commissioner. Additionally, the measure would have required the Secretary of State’s office to establish a program to inform voters on ranked choice voting and would have allowed local governments to implement the voting style.

Measure 118

Voters overwhelmingly rejected this measure.

Measure 118 would have increased the highest corporate minimum taxes in order to give Oregonians an annual rebate. The measure would have increased the corporate minimum tax for Oregon sales exceeding $25 million and would have eliminated the minimum tax cap of $100,000 for $1 million in sales.

Measure 119

Measure 119 would require cannabis retailers and processors to remain neutral in their communications to employees from labor organizations about bargaining rights. Current law gives employees the right to collectively bargain, however, this measure requires cannabis businesses to have an agreement with a labor organization that at minimum requires the business to remain neutral. If cannabis businesses violate the rule, the measure would allow the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission to impose fines or licensing and certification penalties.