Background

Oregon law requires each county to appoint a county compensation board to recommend salaries for elected county officials, however there is no such requirement for elected state officials. A commission was established in 1983 to perform this function, but by 2000 all positions on the board were vacant. Legislation enacted in 2007 revitalized the commission with new membership and a revised scope of work and during the 2008 Great Recession the commission recommended salary increases for various state offices. The commission went unfunded after 2008 and was eliminated in 2017 along with other state boards and commissions identified as inactive or obsolete.

As a result, wages for high-level government positions have stagnated. The Oregon governor hasn't gotten a raise since 2014 and earns less than governors in every state but Maine[0]. The State Treasurer makes less in every state but Wisconsin and Arizona, and the Attorney General's salary is the lowest in the nation[1].

The ballot measure would amend the Oregon Constitution to establish the Independent Public Service Compensation Commission. The Commission would set salaries for specific public officials, including: Governor; Secretary of State; State Treasurer; Attorney General; Bureau of Labor and Industries Commissioner; Supreme Court Judges and other judges governed by the Oregon Judicial Department; District Attorneys; State Senator; and State Representative[3].

[0] Ballotpedia Compensation of state executive officers

[1] OregonLive "Lawmakers propose creating independent salary commission to set wages for Oregon’s elected officials"

[3] SJR 34 Full Text

See also: Oregon 2024 Election Dashboard

Market Resolution

The market will resolve to one answer based on

• If the ballot measure passes or fails

• The margin by which it passes or fails

Margin will be determined by the percentage of voters that were for or against the measure.

(Majority Vote Total / Total Votes) = Margin

The market will resolve N/A if:

• The ballot measure is withdrawn

The market will resolve based on certified results from the Oregon Secretary of State. Market closes on 5 Nov 2024; market resolution may be delayed until data is released. Oregon Law requires that any ballot measure receive an affirmative majority so in case of a 50/50 tie, the measure will have failed. [0]

[0] ORS 254.065 (2)

Related Markets

Disclaimer

I do not bet on markets I create in order to avoid motivated reasoning. Any changes to the market description will be noted in the change log.