Oregon PEACE Act Petition Fails Initial Signature Verification

The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office is conducting a second, larger sample review of signatures for Initiative Petition 28, also known as the PEACE Act. The measure, led by Portland-based vegan advocates, seeks to ban commercial animal slaughter, hunting, fishing, breeding, farming, and research, with exceptions only for self-defense or veterinary care.

Petitioners submitted 142,784 signatures on July 2, exceeding the 117,173 required to qualify for the November ballot. However, the Elections Division determined the first round of statistical verification failed to meet the 82% validity threshold. In the initial sample, only 804 of 1,000 signatures were found to be valid, indicating the petition lacks enough signatures to qualify.

The petition will be barred from the ballot if the second sample also fails to meet the necessary threshold. The Secretary of State must complete the verification process by August 2.