Ben Edtl, Michaela Hammerson, and Stephen Joncus Launch IP37: Oregon’s Bold Citizen-Led Strike to End Dangerous Vote-by-Mail and Restore Secure Elections

“It’s time to acknowledge the elephant in the room.”

Tualatin, OR – December 4, 2024 – Alongside Michaela Hammerson and Stephen Joncus, I stepped forward as Chief Petitioner for Initiative Petition 2026-037 (IP37) the constitutional amendment that will finally prohibit Oregon’s reckless, unsecured all-mail voting system and demand real election integrity.

After submitting the required sponsorship signatures, the Oregon Secretary of State confirmed on April 9, 2025 that IP37 met the legal threshold. The Attorney General issued the draft ballot title on April 17, 2025, certified the final title on May 16, 2025, and on June 4, 2025, the Secretary of State officially accepted the petition and cleared it for public signature gathering.

This wasn’t some backroom deal from Salem insiders. This was three ordinary Oregonians: a transit reformer, a grassroots activist, and a no-nonsense legal advocate saying enough is enough. Oregon’s vote-by-mail experiment has turned elections into a black box where late ballots appear like magic, chain-of-custody is a joke, and the people are left wondering if their vote even counted. IP37 ends that. It forces in-person, Election Day voting with real verification, real accountability, and real trust.

The establishment is already terrified. They know once Oregonians get the chance to sign and vote on IP37, the rigged game is over.

We are collecting signatures across the state right now because the people — not the bureaucrats — deserve to decide how their elections are run.

This is the fight of our lifetime. Join us. Sign. Circulate. Take Oregon back.

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