Whereas the spirit of Oregon's constitutional guarantee of free and equal elections is violated when the right to vote requires membership in a political party;

Whereas excluding non-affiliated voters from primary elections disenfranchises those voters, which denies their equal participation in elections for public office; and

Whereas in all elections for public office administered using public funds, every registered voter should have an equal right to vote on an equal basis, and every qualified candidate should have an equal opportunity to seek public office; therefore, be it enacted by the People of the State of Oregon: Section 1, Article II of the Constitution of the State of Oregon is amended to read:

Section 1. Elections free.

(1) All elections shall be free and equal.

(2) Equal rights under the laws of elections for public office shall not be denied or abridged by the State of Oregon, nor by any political subdivision in this state, on account of political party affiliation or non-affiliation.

(a)  No qualified elector shall be denied access to a ballot for public office, nor be restricted from selecting any candidates for public office, based on political party affiliation or non- affiliation.

(b)  The ballot for each qualified elector shall include all qualified candidates for a particular public office regardless of political party affiliation or non-affiliation.

(c) All qualified candidates for a particular public office shall be subject to the same candidacy and filing requirements regardless of political party affiliation or non-affiliation.

(d) The Legislative Assembly shall enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this section.

(e) Subsection (2) of this section applies to all elections for public office, including general elections, special elections, and primary elections, that occur on or after January 1, 2027. As used in subsection (2) of this section, “public office” excludes nominations for President and Vice President of the United States unless provided by statute.