Measure 115: Voters approve plan giving power of impeachment to lawmakers

Published 8:15 pm Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Oregon voters appear to have approved a ballot measure amending the state’s constitution to give the legislature the power to impeach and remove state lawmakers believed to have committed wrongdoing.

According to early election results released Tuesday, Nov. 5, the “Yes” campaign leads with 62.8% of the vote. The “No” campaign had 37.1%.

Measure 115 grants the Oregon Legislature authority to impeach statewide elected officials, including the governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state treasurer, and the commissioner of labor and industries, for “malfeasance, corrupt conduct, willful neglect of duty, or other felonies.”

Oregon is the only state in the nation which does not have some form of formal impeachment process.

Impeachment would work similar to the federal level. Under the law, impeachment would require a two-thirds majority in the state’s House of Representatives, followed by a trial in the state Senate. If two-thirds of senators vote to convict, the elected official would be removed from office and barred from holding public office again.

The bipartisan-backed measure received widespread support following recent controversies involving Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, who left office voluntarily in 2023 after she was accused of consulting for a cannabis company while in office. Former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber did the same in 2015, following an influence peddling scandal involving his longtime partner.