Activists urge Oregon to allow online signing for initiatives

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – Some Oregon activists are pushing for the state to implement a system that would allow voter signatures to be gathered electronically for initiative petitions.
 
The Register-Guard reported (http://bit.ly/2xKAyXI ) on Wednesday that a grass-roots effort is calling for petitions to be signed online so more initiatives can bypass the Legislature and go directly before voters.
 
Proponents say that the change would make gathering signatures easier because successful initiatives under the current system typically require financial backing to pay for people to gather signatures.
 
Of the 415 initiative petitions filed since November 2006, 27 have qualified to go before voters.
 
The advocacy group Our Oregon has opposed the proposal, with spokespeople saying it’s not the right way to update the system.