Lawmakers Sidestep Contribution Caps

Oregon voters approved a constitutional change in 2020 by 78% to allow campaign contribution limits, but the Legislature wrote and passed rules that advocates say undercut those limits through carve‑outs, delayed implementation, and enforcement gaps. The result is a statutory regime that formally meets the ballot mandate yet preserves many existing funding pathways for political influence. — Shows how legislatures can neutralize direct‑democracy reforms, eroding public trust and creating a playbook other states could follow to blunt voter mandates on ethics and money in politics.