The Secretary of State has published the measures that will be on the ballot in November, along with statements of financial impact. In a schedule-defying act of commitment to voter education, I’m going to try to cover each of these. Ambitious, no?

Actually, not so much. I’m starting easy. Measure 54 lowers the voting age in school district elections in Oregon from 21 to 18. Not too many readers of this website will have much of a problem with that, but there’s another good reason to vote for it - the current law is illegal. The 26th Amendment to the US Constitution prohibits abridging the voting rights of people 18 and over. The explanation? Simple - the voters passed the age 21 requirement in 1948, while the 26th Amendment didn’t come along until 1971.

This measure comes to the ballot as a legislative referral and has no financial impact. You can either vote for it and feel good about yourself or wait for the courts to strike down the age 21 requirement. Ah, the classic Hobson’s choice!

As always, the views expressed here are my personal opinions and do not necessarily represent those of my employer.