For Immediate Release
Contact: Eddie Kurtz
[email protected]
October 18, 2021
The Democratic Party of Oregon (DPO) has begun the process of filling the legislative vacancy in Oregon Senate District 18 after the Oregon Secretary of State informed the DPO that Senator Ginny Burdick intends to resign from the Oregon State Senate effective October 31st.
“We wish Senator Ginny Burdick well in her new role on the Pacific Northwest Electric Power and Conservation Planning Council,” said Democratic Party of Oregon Chair Carla “KC” Hanson. “In her 25 years of service in the State Senate, she has improved the lives of Oregonians in countless ways. Her leadership in reducing gun violence has been particularly remarkable. Her service also includes five years as Democratic Majority Leader and five years as Senate President pro Tempore. She has left an indelible mark on the Oregon Legislature, and she will be missed.
“The Democratic Party of Oregon looks forward to promptly fulfilling its obligations to ensure that the people of Senate District 18 will have new representation in the State Senate as soon as possible.”
The Democratic Precinct Committee Persons (PCPs) representing the precincts in the current Senate District 18 will conduct an election and nominate three, four, or five candidates who fit the legal requirements for serving as a State Senator and are willing to hold the office.
The nominating process will include a November 5th meeting for the Senate District 18 PCPs, at which the PCPs will consider a vote-by-mail election for the PCPs to determine the candidates to send forward to the County Commissioners in Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties. If PCPs adopt the vote-by-mail process, ballots would be mailed out to PCPs on November 6th, and be due to the DPO on November 17th. Results would be tabulated on November 18th, and the DPO would promptly submit the list of nominees to the Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas County Commissioners, who would then choose a person from the list to fill the legislative vacancy for the remainder of the current legislative term.
The process outlined above is identical to the process the DPO used to fill previous legislative vacancies that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic, including for House District 33, House District 47, and Senate District 24.
People who wish to be considered for State Senator must file form SEL 145 (available online at the Secretary of State’s Website) with the Democratic Party of Oregon. Prospective candidates must meet the minimum requirements to hold the office. Those requirements are: being a registered Democrat for at least 180 days before the effective date of the officeholder’s resignation, living in the Senate District for at least one year, and not being under the control of the Oregon Department of Corrections.
The deadline to file as a candidate is noon on Friday, November 5th, 2021. Forms may be sent by email ([email protected]), or by fax (503-224-5335). If the form does not reach the Democratic Party of Oregon in time, that person’s candidacy cannot be considered. Postmarks will not be honored if the form does not arrive by November 5th. It is highly recommended that the form be submitted by email as staff are working remotely due to the pandemic. The Democratic Party of Oregon will then forward the list of eligible candidates to the Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas County Democratic PCPs who are eligible to vote in the SD18 Nominating Election.
To learn more, visit dpo.org/SD18.
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