The IPO reaches major-party registration threshold

Kari Chisholm

Well, this is interesting.

The Independent Party of Oregon is now up to 108,744 registered voters -- putting it over the threshold for qualifying as a "major party". (Parties need a total registration of more than 5% of the number registered in the previous gubernatorial election -- 2,174,763.)

That makes it the only party other than the Ds and Rs to achieve that status. It means that the IPO will now have a state-run vote-by-mail primary election just like the other two parties.

But there's a wrinkle: It now also means that candidates on that primary ballot have to be registered IPO -- rather than using Oregon's lite-fusion provision to cross-nominate Ds and Rs.

What do you think? Does this mean a new chapter in Oregon politics? Is this a sea change? Or a little ripple?

By Kari Chisholm Feb. 03, 2015