Oregon Voters Resoundingly Reject Challenges To Sanctuary Laws And Abortion

In votes on abortion access and immigration enforcement, Oregonians faced challenges to the state's progressive policies.

Yard signs at the Northwest Oregon Labor Council AFL-CIO Labor Day picnic at Oaks Park. (Justin Katigbak)

Oregon voters sent a message to strict conservatives and the Trump administration with their ballots tonight, resoundingly rejecting two measures aimed at cutting two liberal policies that have helped define the state.

Voters crushed Measure 106, which would have barred taxpayer dollars from being spent on elective abortions.

In early returns, Oregonians voted 64 percent to 35 percent against what would have been the first state-level restriction on abortion in Oregon—the only U.S. state that has refused to restrict a woman's right to choose.

The Oregon Health Plan and private insurance providers are required to cover abortions under existing laws. The state spends about $2 million on abortions each year.

In an equally resounding decision, voters rejected Measure 105 by a margin of 63 percent to 36 percent in early returns.

It would have repealed the state's sanctuary law that bars local law enforcement agencies from spending state and local resources on enforcing federal immigration laws. The 31-year-old law passed with bi-partisan support as an attempt by Oregon lawmakers to reign in racial profiling by police officers and sheriff's deputies.

"This historic victory affirms that Oregonians believe we should welcome others and build bridges of understanding with those who may seem different," Cristina Marquez, No on 105 campaign manager, said in a statement. "All eyes were on Oregon tonight."

Both abortion and immigration have been hot-button issues in recent years, increasingly so under the Trump administration. But Oregonians stood their ground and rejected the attempts to move the state to the right.

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