We'll know in two to four weeks. But it seems pretty unlikely. We would need about 88% valid signatures and that doesn't happen very often.
Mitch
First, I hope we make it on the ballot.
If we don't, this is very disheartening to know we came so close and that the tireless efforts of many, many people will go unrewarded. I am disappointed in myself with respect to this effort. I collected about 40 signatures and made a donation but it was only in the final weeks. I alone could have gotten another 500 signatures with a reasonable effort and commitment.
Same thing is true of other progressives. How many people here expect other people to carry their luggage? I know there are scores of places to invest time and effort but we must figure out a way for our progressive community to understand when we are on the margins of success and where a small collective effort could push us over the top.
This inititative would have likely made the ballot with another 5,000 raw signatures. That represents about 200 collective volunteer hours. Had each of us who post and reads Portland Indymedia invested 1 hour (or one additional hour) to gather signatures for this effort we would have made the ballot for sure.
If we don't make the ballot this time, I hope we have a better effort next time.
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by paid canvassers. Who wants to volunteer in collecting signatures when
they will be standing side by side on the street with mercenary ballot
signature gatherers? The required numbers for ballot inclusion should
be reduced to a level where a single day's effort of bone fide voters
is sufficient. A completed checklist of constitutional and basic legal
requirements, in addition to one thousand signatures should be all that
is necessary for a ballot measure that involves only unpaid signature
gatherers. (This may also reduce problems with identity theft and other
personal security problems that paid canvassers pose to Portland's
voting population.)