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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
House Joint Resolution 9
Sponsored by Representative NERON (Presession filed.)
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure as introduced.The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability
standards.
Digest: The measure asks voters to change when recall elections take place. (Flesch readability
score: 74.8).
Proposes an amendment to the Oregon Constitution to change when elections that consider the
recall of an elected official must take place and to require the recall measure to be placed on the
ballot for the next regularly scheduled election following the recall petition certification, or the
following regularly scheduled election if the recall petition certification occurs after the filing
deadline for the first election.
Refers the proposed amendment to the voters at the next regular general election.
JOINT RESOLUTION
Be It Resolved by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon:
PARAGRAPH 1. Section 18, Article II of the Constitution of the State of Oregon, is amended
to read:
Sec. 18. Recall. (1) Every public officer in Oregon is subject, as herein provided, to recall by the
electors of the state or of the electoral district from which the public officer is elected.
(2) Fifteen per cent, but not more, of the number of electors who voted for Governor in the
officer’s electoral district at the most recent election at which a candidate for Governor was elected
to a full term, may be required to file their petition demanding the officer’s recall by the people.
(3) They shall set forth in the petition the reasons for the demand.
(4) If the public officer offers to resign, the resignation shall be accepted and take effect on the
day it is offered, and the vacancy shall be filled as may be provided by law. If the public officer does
not resign within five days after the petition is filed, [a special election shall be ordered to be held
within 35 days] a recall measure meeting the requirements of subsection (5) of this section
shall be placed on the ballot at the next regularly scheduled election in the electoral district
to determine whether the people will recall the officer. If the petition is certified after the filing
deadline for the next regularly scheduled election has passed, the recall measure shall be on
the ballot for the next following regularly scheduled election in the electoral district of the
official.
(5) On the ballot at the election shall be printed in not more than 200 words the reasons for
demanding the recall of the officer as set forth in the recall petition, and, in not more than 200
words, the officer’s justification of the officer’s course in office. The officer shall continue to perform
the duties of office until the result of the special election is officially declared.If an officer is re-
called from any public office the vacancy shall be filled immediately in the manner provided by law
for filling a vacancy in that office arising from any other cause.
(6) The recall petition shall be filed with the officer with whom a petition for nomination to such
office should be filed, and the same officer shall order the special election when it is required. No
NOTE:Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 950 HJR9
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such petition shall be circulated against any officer until the officer has actually held the office six
months, save and except that it may be filed against a senator or representative in the legislative
assembly at any time after five days from the beginning of the first session after the election of the
senator or representative.
(7) After one such petition and special election, no further recall petition shall be filed against
the same officer during the term for which the officer was elected unless such further petitioners
first pay into the public treasury which has paid such special election expenses, the whole amount
of its expenses for the preceding special election.
(8) Such additional legislation as may aid the operation of this section shall be provided by the
legislative assembly, including provision for payment by the public treasury of the reasonable special
election campaign expenses of such officer. But the words, “the legislative assembly shall provide,”
or any similar or equivalent words in this constitution or any amendment thereto, shall not be
construed to grant to the legislative assembly any exclusive power of lawmaking nor in any way to
limit the initiative and referendum powers reserved by the people.
PARAGRAPH 2. The amendment proposed by this resolution shall be submitted to the
people for their approval or rejection at the next regular general election held throughout
thisstate.
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