Oregon’s top court asked to decide if GOP senators who boycotted Legislature can be reelected

By ANDREW SELSKY
Associated Press

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Court of Appeals has formally asked the state’s highest court to decide whether Republican state senators who carried out a record-setting GOP walkout this year can run for reelection. The senators are challenging a voter-approved amendment to the state constitution that bars them from being reelected after having 10 or more unexcused absences. Oregon voters last year overwhelmingly approved the ballot measure that created the amendment following GOP walkouts in the Legislature in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Several Oregon state senators with at least 10 absences have already filed candidacy papers with election authorities.