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SB 1574
This proposal did not become law. The bill lowers Oregon’s primary election voting age to 17 for individuals who would have turned 18 before the general election, restricting their vote exclusively to selecting major party nominees. It amends existing voter registration, military/overseas ballot, ballot content, record-keeping, and mailing statutes to accommodate this change, appropriates unspecified General Fund money to the Secretary of State for printing and counting additional ballots, and would have taken effect for primaries on or after January 1, 2028.
Generated explanation · Introduced · Analyzed 8/19/2026 · Open official Introduced text
This proposal did not become law.
Generated analysis of Introduced text; it does not establish that the bill applies to you. Read the full decision brief.
No upcoming event is verified in the available records.
Plain-language analysis
Generated analysis, not an official summary or legal advice. Confirm with linked Oregon documents.
This proposal did not become law. The generated effects below describe what it would have required if enacted.
The bill lowers Oregon’s primary election voting age to 17 for individuals who would have turned 18 before the general election, restricting their vote exclusively to selecting major party nominees. It amends existing voter registration, military/overseas ballot, ballot content, record-keeping, and mailing statutes to accommodate this change, appropriates unspecified General Fund money to the Secretary of State for printing and counting additional ballots, and would have taken effect for primaries on or after January 1, 2028.
Basis: Bill text · Source: Introduced
Official sources do not state why this measure was proposed.
Sponsor testimony, staff summaries, committee materials, or statutory findings may explain it.
Inferred from cited text; not a stated purpose.
The measure aims to increase youth civic engagement by aligning primary voting eligibility with the existing 21-day pre-primary registration deadline, allowing minors to participate in party selection while preserving general election eligibility until adulthood.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Introduced
Potential effect if enacted: Gains eligibility to register and vote in primaries solely for party nominees, subject to party affiliation rules and a 21-day pre-primary registration deadline.
Basis: Bill text · Source: Introduced
Potential effect if enacted: Eligible for primary ballots with restricted content (party nominees only) via streamlined application methods valid across elections.
Basis: Bill text · Source: Introduced
Would have had to update voter registration systems, track under-18 voters separately, print limited-content ballots, verify signatures, and manage increased printing/counting volumes funded by state appropriation.
Basis: Bill text · Source: Introduced
Would have received votes from 17-year-old affiliated voters during primaries; would have had to comply with rules governing ballot access for non-affiliated electors where applicable.
Basis: Bill text · Source: Introduced
Behavior and obligations: 17-year-olds would have had to register at least 21 days before a primary and formally declare party affiliation (or request a ballot from an open party). Clerks would have had to implement new tracking protocols, mail restricted ballots to under-18 voters, and enforce perjury attestations on return envelopes.
Basis: Bill text · Source: Introduced
Costs: The state appropriates unspecified General Fund money to the Secretary of State for printing and counting; counties would have incured administrative costs for system would have updated, voter education, and ballot processing.
Basis: Bill text · Source: Introduced
Eligibility and access: would have expanded primary access to a new demographic but strictly limits voting scope to party nominations. Military/overseas voters gain flexible application methods (email/fax) valid across elections.
Basis: Bill text · Source: Introduced
Enforcement: Signature verification remains tied to registration records; ballots would have had to be returned in identification envelopes with strict deadlines and perjury warnings.
Basis: Bill text · Source: Introduced
17-year-old military dependent stationed overseas
Successfully registers, votes in a primary to select nominees for offices they would have held as an 18-year-old, and would have established early voting habits without delaying general election eligibility.
Basis: Bill text · Source: Introduced
County clerk and affected voters
Potential effect if enacted: Fails to segregate under-18 ballots or misapplies party affiliation deadlines, resulting in ineligible voters casting ballots in general elections or nonpartisan races, triggering recounts or legal challenges.
Basis: Bill text · Source: Introduced
The text would have legally permitted restricted primary participation and flexible application methods, but weak enforcement of age verification, party affiliation deadlines, or ballot content segregation could have enabled unlawful general election voting or eligibility fraud.
Sources · Introduced
Would have expanded democratic participation by allowing 17-year-olds to influence party nominations earlier, but introduces administrative complexity and enforcement risks around age verification, party affiliation deadlines, and restricted ballot content.
Potential effect if enacted: Increases youth civic engagement and aligns voting rights with existing registration timelines.
Basis: Bill text · Source: Introduced
Potential effect if enacted: Supports military/overseas voter access through streamlined, multi-election application validity.
Basis: Bill text · Source: Introduced
Would have created new compliance burdens for clerks requiring precise tracking to prevent ineligible voting.
Basis: Bill text · Source: Introduced
Would have depended on accurate party affiliation declarations that minors might have misunderstanded, risking disenfranchisement or procedural errors.
Basis: Bill text · Source: Introduced
Model self-rating: high. Analysis is strictly derived from the introduced bill text. No external sources, prior versions, or speculative claims are used. The redacted appropriation amount and absence of supporting analysis limit fiscal certainty. This is the model’s assessment of its own analysis, not independent verification or human review.
4 records currently loaded
Records available in the current snapshot.
Earliest loaded signal
Introduced bill text posted
Posted Jan 28, 2026, 3:25 PM PST
Not a qualifying replacement
The introduced bill is the only adopted version available; proposals do not establish a qualifying replacement.
AI assessment dated 2026-09-29. This classification is separate from enactment and legal effect.
Evidence snapshot: 2026-09-29. Later legislative records are not automatically reassessed.
Policy purpose: broadly retained.
Reviewer: /root/review_recent_a · 2026-09-29
Not a qualifying replacement
The introduced bill is the only adopted version available; proposals do not establish a qualifying replacement.
Policy purpose: broadly retained.
“SECTION 1. ORS 247.016 is amended to read: 6 247.016. (1) Subject to this section, an otherwise qualified person who is at least 16 years of age 7 may register to vote. 8 (2) Except as provided under subsection (3) of this section, a person who registers to vote 9 under subsection (1) of this section may not vote i”
Introduced
“SECTION 1. ORS 247.016 is amended to read: 6 247.016. (1) Subject to this section, an otherwise qualified person who is at least 16 years of age 7 may register to vote. 8 (2) Except as provided under subsection (3) of this section, a person who registers to vote 9 under subsection (1) of this section may not vote i”
Introduced
Reviewer: /root/review_recent_b · 2026-09-29
Not a qualifying replacement
No replacement transition is documented.
Policy purpose: broadly retained.
“SECTION 1. ORS 247.016 is amended to read: 6 247.016. (1) Subject to this section, an otherwise qualified person who is at least 16 years of age 7 may register to vote. 8 (2) Except as provided under subsection (3) of”
Introduced
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No deeper official pre-number history was found.
Chief sponsors: Senator Chris Gorsek, Representative Travis Nelson, Senator Janeen Sollman, Representative Willy Chotzen
Regular sponsors: Senator Wlnsvey Campos, Senator Jeff Golden, Senator Courtney Neron Misslin, Representative Farrah Chaichi, Representative Mark Gamba, Representative Dacia Grayber, Representative Zach Hudson, Representative Sarah McDonald, Representative Lesly Muñoz, Representative Rob Nosse, Representative Ricki Ruiz, Representative Nathan Sosa, Representative Thuy Tran, Representative Lamar Wise
Records already listed in Activity are not repeated here.
Official origin records are incomplete; missing facts are not inferred.
4 events
Full timeline
4 entries shown.
In committee upon adjournment.
Referred to Rules.
Introduction and first reading. Referred to President's desk.
“Permits a person who will be 17 years of age on the date of a primary election and 18 years of age on the date of the general election to vote at the primary election for candidates of a major political party with which the person is affiliated.”
Confirm with the official record.
Supplemental, source-linked analysis from project researchers and community contributors. It is separate from Oregon's official record.