In June, 2009, Healthy Democracy Oregon worked with a bipartisan team of Oregon Legislators, led by Rep. Chris Harker (D-Beaverton), Rep. Ben Cannon (D-Portland) and Sen. Doug Whitsett (R-Klamath Falls). to pass legislation calling for an official pilot of the CIR during the 2010 election.

The Healthy Democracy team is busy working to convene these reviews in August, 2010.

Following a successful ‘field test’ of the Review in 2008, Healthy Democracy Oregon worked with a bipartisan team of twenty-six legislators to pass a law in 2009, calling for an official pilot of the Review process in 2010.

House Bill 2895, the “Citizens’ Initiative Review Pilot” bill, calls for the review 1-3 measures on the 2010 general election ballot. The bill provides prominent new page s in the official statewide Voters’ Pamphlet to publish the “Citizens’ Statements.” The purpose of the 2010 pilot of the Citizens’ Initiative Review is to provide Oregonians with an opportunity to use this new information, and determine through a rigorous evaluation how much voters value the Citizens’ Initiative Review as a new public service.

Recognizing the importance of this research opportunity, the National Science Foundation has awarded $218,000 to a team of distinguished researchers from Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin to conduct the evaluation.

Click here for an overview of the 2010 CIR Pilot Legislation
Click here to learn more about the Citizens’ Initiative Review