To ensure that our members' safety, livability, and working conditions are protected, the Oregon State Police Officers' Association shall participate in the elective process in a proactive manner through political endorsements. These endorsements are also intended to enhance the viability of the Oregon State Police Officers' Association and the Oregon Department of State Police, as a whole, through cooperative working relationships with various organizations, individuals, and legislators. Endorsements made by the Oregon State Police Officers' Association are on behalf of the organization and are strictly recommendations to the membership which in no manner infringe on its members' right to democratic choice.
All qualifying candidates and the organizing committees for the appropriate ballot measures and referendums shall be eligible to seek Oregon State Police Officers' Association (OSPOA) endorsement subject to the following guidelines, recognizing the multi-partisan makeup of the OSPOA.
Offices considered for OSPOA endorsement will include, but not be limited to:
STATEWIDE: Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Labor Commissioner, Justices of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Treasury.
STATE LEGISLATIVE: State Senators, State Representatives.
LOCAL/REGIONAL: Local contests for county, city or other regionalized positions such as county sheriff or county district attorney will not be eligible for general OSPOA endorsement; however, they are eligible for limited and local OSPOA member endorsement.
STATEWIDE: The OSPOA SEC will make all final endorsement decisions upon majority vote of SEC members based on recommendations approved by the OSPOA PAC, lobbyist and, whenever possible, the respective Worksite Representative(s), and members.
STATE LEGISLATIVE: The OSPOA SEC will make all final endorsement decisions upon majority vote of SEC members based on recommendations approved by the OSPOA PAC, lobbyist and, whenever possible, the respective Worksite Representative(s), and members.
LOCAL/REGIONAL: Regional Representatives will be responsible for processing endorsement requests for local/regional races. A decision regarding a local endorsement will be the responsibility of the Regional Representative, acting in concert with Worksite Representative(s) in the affected worksite(s), and the worksite membership.
Endorsement actions by the OSPOA can include:
"Targeted" issues are those issues of particular importance to the OSPOA and its membership and, subject to final review, might include such things as collective bargaining, Fair Share, and other labor and law enforcement issues.
Statewide candidates may be invited to a screening interview with the SEC, or PAC and lobbyist as established by the SEC, to judge the qualifications of each candidate and the effect an endorsement would have on the OSPOA.
State legislative candidates may be invited to a screening interview with the SEC, PAC, OSPOA President, OSPOA lobbyist, OSPOA Regional Representative, and/or OSPOA Worksite Representative to judge the qualifications of each candidate and the effect an endorsement would have on the OSPOA.
Local/Regional candidates may be invited to a screening interview with the OSPOA Regional Representative, and/or OSPOA Worksite Representative to judge the qualifications of each candidate and the effect an endorsement would have on the OSPOA.
The following criteria (in some cases, only those portions of the criteria that are applicable) should be used in determining whether a candidate will receive an OSPOA endorsement:
The President and/or lobbyist of the OSPOA will be responsible for contacting the candidate who earns OSPOA endorsement. A discussion of the endorsement should also take place so that the candidate and the OSPOA are in agreement as to the scope of the endorsement, and that the integrity of the OSPOA and its endorsement procedures will be maintained. Endorsement may include a written statement on OSPOA letterhead which may be reprinted and published by the candidate or political committee. The text of that statement should be prepared and approved by the OSPOA President and OSPOA lobbyist.
When considering requests for OSPOA endorsement regarding statewide ballot measures, initiatives, referendums, and recall measures, a similar mechanism to that used for statewide candidates will be put into action.
Local ballot measures, referendums, and initiatives will be handled in a similar fashion to local candidates with the responsibility falling on the Regional Representative, Worksite Representatives, and worksite membership, and any endorsement being limited to the local area as previously outlined.
Revised May 2006