SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- Supporters of a ballot measure to take redistricting responsibilities away from the Legislature have sued the Oregon Secretary of State, claiming rules for checking petition signatures are too restrictive.
Petitioners have submitted 125,948 signatures for the proposal, which must have 110,358 valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot.
One of the authors of the measure, Kevin Mannix, claims that signature checking rules adopted by the Secretary of State are far more restrictive than required by state law.
The proposed initiative asks voters to amend the Oregon Constitution by creating a panel of retired judges who would use U.S. Census data to redraw legislative district boundaries to evenly represent the state's population.
Currently, the Legislature handles redistricting. But if it can't agree on a plan the governor will sign, the job falls to the secretary of state.
