Third party, or minor party, is a term used in the United States' two-party system for political parties other than the Republican and Democratic parties.
The U.S. state of Oregon established vote-by-mail as the standard mechanism for voting with Ballot Measure 60, a citizen's initiative, in 1998. The measure made Oregon the first state in the United States to conduct its elections exclusively by mail. The measure passed on November 3, 1998, by a margin of 69.4% to 30.6%. Political scientists say Oregon's vote by mail system contributes to its highest-in-the-nation rate of voter turnout, at 61.5% of eligible voters.
Ballot Measure 36 was a 2004 initiative in the U.S. state of Oregon. It amended the Oregon Constitution to define marriage as a union of one man and one woman. The initiative passed with 1,028,546 votes in favor, and 787,556 votes against in the November 2, 2004 general election. It is one of a number of U.S. state constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage. However, unlike other similar ballot measures passed on or near the same election date, the amendment did not explicitly ban civil unions between same-sex couples.
Term limits legislation – term limits for state and federal office-holders – has been a recurring political issue in the U.S. state of Oregon since 1992. In that year's general election, Oregon voters approved Ballot Measure 3, an initiative that enacted term limits for representatives in both houses of the United States Congress and the Oregon Legislative Assembly, and statewide officeholders. It has been described as the strictest term limits law in the country.
The Independent Party of Oregon (IPO) is a centrist political party in the U.S. state of Oregon with more than 140,000 registrants since its inception in January 2007. The IPO is Oregon's third-largest political party and the first political party other than the Democratic Party and Republican Party to be recognized by the state of Oregon as a major political party.
Elections in Oregon are all held using a Vote by Mail (VBM) system. This means that all registered voters receive their ballots via postal delivery and can vote from their homes. A state Voters’ Pamphlet is mailed to every household in Oregon about three weeks before each statewide election. It includes information about each measure and candidate in the upcoming election.
Ranked-choice voting (RCV) can refer to one of several ranked voting methods used in some cities and states in the United States. The term is not strictly defined, but most often refers to instant-runoff voting (IRV) or single transferable vote (STV), the main difference being whether only one winner or multiple winners are elected.
Oregon Ballot Measure 64 was an initiated state statute ballot measure on the November 4, 2008 general election ballot in Oregon.
Electoral reform in Oregon refers to efforts to change election and voting laws in the West Coast state of Oregon.
A unified primary is an electoral system for narrowing the field of candidates for a single-winner election, similar to a nonpartisan blanket primary, but using approval voting for the first round, advancing the top-two candidates, allowing voters to confirm the majority-supported candidate in the general election.
STAR voting is an electoral system for single-seat elections. The name stands for "Score Then Automatic Runoff", referring to the fact that this system is a combination of score voting, to pick two finalists with the highest total scores, followed by an "automatic runoff" in which the finalist who is preferred on more ballots wins. It is a type of cardinal voting electoral system.
Alaska Measure 2 was a ballot initiative narrowly approved by voters in Alaska as part of the 2020 United States elections. The proposal switched Alaska's primary system to a non-partisan blanket primary. The top four candidates progress to the general election, which is conducted with ranked-choice voting. Voting for U.S. president will continue to utilize primaries based on political party, but ranked-choice voting will still be used in the general election. The initiative also requires additional disclosures of campaign financing.
A final-four or final-five primary is an electoral system using a nonpartisan primary by multi-winner plurality in the first step.
2024 Colorado Proposition 131 was a proposed ballot measure that appeared before voters in Colorado during the 2024 general election. The citizen initiated proposition would have replaced Colorado's partisan primaries with non-partisan blanket primaries and would have implemented ranked-choice (instant-runoff) voting for most statewide and state legislative general elections in which the top four candidates in the primary would have qualified for the general election ballot.
Alaska Ballot Measure 2 was a ballot initiative that was voted on in the November 5, 2024, general election. The ballot measure narrowly failed to pass by just 737 votes.
Oregon Ballot Measure 115, entitled the Impeachment of Elected State Executives Amendment, was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of Oregon that was decided by voters as part of the 2024 Oregon elections on November 5, 2024. As approved by voters, it amends the state Constitution to grant the Oregon State Legislature the power to impeach and remove statewide elected officials in the Executive branch of the Oregon state government: the Oregon Governor, Oregon Secretary of State, Oregon Attorney General, Oregon State Treasurer, and Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries.
Oregon Ballot Measure 116, the Independent Public Service Compensation Commission Amendment, was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of Oregon that was decided by voters as part of the 2024 Oregon elections on November 5, 2024. If approved, it would have established an "Independent Public Service Compensation Commission", which would determine salaries for politicians and other government figures in the state.
Oregon Ballot Measure 119, the Unionization of Cannabis Workers Initiative, is an Oregon state initiative that was decided by voters as part of the 2024 Oregon elections on November 5, 2024. As approved by voters, it will make it easier for workers in the Cannabis industry to unionize.
Oregon Ballot Measure 118, the Corporate Tax Revenue Rebate for Residents Initiative, was a proposed Oregon state initiative that was decided by voters as part of the 2024 Oregon elections on November 5, 2024.
