Requirements regarding number and distribution of persons signing partisan petitions.

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(a) A nominating petition for an office to be voted for in the state at large or for a candidate for Representative in Congress shall contain signatures of members of the same major political party as the candidate. Except as provided in this subsection, there shall be at least 1,000 signatures or the number of signatures at least equal to two percent of the vote cast in the state or congressional district, as the case may be, for the candidates of that major political party for presidential electors at the last presidential election, whichever is less;

(b) For an election next following any change in the boundaries of a congressional district, there shall be at least 1,000 signatures or the number of signatures at least equal to two percent of the average number of votes cast in all congressional districts in this state, as the case may be, for the candidates of that major political party for presidential electors at the last presidential election, whichever is less;

(c) In the case of a candidate nominated by a major political party that did not nominate presidential electors at the last presidential election, there shall be at least 1,000 signatures; and

(d) If the office is one to be voted for in the state at large, the signatures shall include those of at least 100 electors registered in each congressional district.

(2) Except as otherwise provided in this section or for a candidate for nonpartisan office in ORS 249.072:

(a) A nominating petition for an office not provided for in subsection (1) of this section shall contain the signatures of electors who are members of the same major political party as the candidate. There shall be at least 500 signatures or the number of signatures at least equal to two percent of the vote in the electoral district for the candidates of that major political party for presidential electors at the last presidential election, whichever is less;

(b) In the case of major political party candidates for the office of state Senator or state Representative, for an election next following any change in the boundaries of the districts of state Senators or state Representatives under Article IV, section 6, of the Oregon Constitution, there shall be at least 500 signatures or the number of signatures at least equal to two percent of the average number of votes cast in all state senatorial or state representative districts in this state, as the case may be, for the candidates of that major political party for presidential electors at the last presidential election, whichever is less; and

(c) In the case of a candidate nominated by a major political party that did not nominate presidential electors at the last presidential election, there shall be at least 500 signatures. [Formerly 249.041; 1983 c.567 §7; 1985 c.808 §13; 1993 c.493 §13; 1995 c.606 §5; 1999 c.410 §22; 2001 c.721 §5; 2005 c.797 §34; 2018 c.70 §13; 2019 c.675 §11]


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