Establishes the qualifications of an elector of President and Vice President of the United States.
Summary
SB 1509 revises Oregon’s statutes governing presidential electors. It tightens and clarifies who may be selected as an elector by requiring that a candidate be registered to vote in Oregon and, depending on the nomination method, be registered with the nominating party or unaffiliated if the presidential ticket is nonpartisan. The bill also requires electors to sign a pledge to vote for the party’s presidential and vice presidential nominees, with the Secretary of State responsible for prescribing the pledge form.
The measure further updates the procedures for the Electoral College meeting in Oregon. It specifies how electors convene at the State Capitol, how the Governor and Secretary of State issue certificates of ascertainment, how vacancies are filled, and how invalid or nonconforming ballots are handled. It also requires security features on certificates, directs the Secretary of State to verify ballots against the elector pledge, and provides for amended certificates when vacancies are filled or an elector is replaced. The bill preserves mileage reimbursement for electors whose ballots are valid and adds rulemaking authority for the Secretary of State. The act takes effect July 1, 2026.
Impact
SB 1509 amends ORS 248.355, 248.370, and 248.380, changing Oregon election law as it applies specifically to presidential and vice presidential electors. It creates more detailed statutory requirements for elector qualifications, pledges, vacancy replacement, ballot validation, and certification procedures, and it formalizes the Secretary of State’s administrative role in the Electoral College process. The bill affects political parties, elector candidates, the Governor, and the Secretary of State, while aligning state procedures more closely with federal Electoral Count Act requirements and related federal law.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial in the legislative process. It passed the Senate committee unanimously, cleared Senate third reading with no opposition, and advanced through the House committee unanimously as well. On House third reading it passed 48-2, indicating strong overall support with only limited dissent.
Contention
The main points of potential contention are the bill’s stricter control over elector conduct and the Secretary of State’s authority to invalidate ballots that do not match the signed pledge. Those provisions reduce elector discretion and formalize consequences for faithless or nonconforming votes, which could raise concerns about elector independence or administrative discretion. The bill also requires party affiliation for elector candidates in partisan nominations, which may be seen as a tightening of party control over the Electoral College process. However, the recorded votes suggest these issues did not generate significant opposition in the legislature.
Urging the President of the United States, the Director of the National Park Service and the Congress of the United States to provide the funding needed to complete the full historic restoration of the Chateau at Oregon Caves National Monument.
Urging the President and Congress to deploy National Guard troops overseas only if the deployment is expressly authorized by the United States Constitution.
Urging the President, the United States Secretary of the Interior and the United States Secretary of Agriculture to direct federal agencies to be as aggressive as possible in preventing, mitigating and suppressing wildfires on federal lands.
Urging the President, the United States Secretary of the Interior and the United States Secretary of Agriculture to direct federal agencies to be as aggressive as possible in preventing, mitigating and suppressing wildfires on federal lands.