Voters Reject Illegal Immigrant Driver’s Licenses

SALEM, Oregon— Yesterday, voters in the blue state of Oregon decisively rejected a state law giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. At last count, the “No on Ballot Measure 88” campaign’s margin of victory in Oregon’s statewide referendum was 68% to 32% percent.

“This is a huge win for Oregon voters’ good sense and upholding the rule of law,” declared Cynthia Kendoll, statewide campaign manager for Protect Oregon Driver Licenses (www.protectoregondl.org), the organization that led the opposition to the law. “Across the board, voters said ‘No’ to the crazy idea of granting special benefits and legal documents to those who have broken the law to enter our country illegally,” she added. Kendoll said, “Voters do not want Oregon to become a magnet for people who break our laws.”

Kendoll said the Oregon referendum results will have national impact because Oregon was the only state in the nation to have a referendum on the ballot in the 2014 general election that dealt with the subject of illegal immigration – specifically the idea of issuing legal documents to people here illegally. And Oregon is the only one of eleven states whose legislatures have passed laws allowing illegal immigrants to get driver’s licenses, in which voters have had the opportunity to vote on the issue.

“We were outspent 11-1, but we won because we ran a true grassroots campaign with the help of thousands of dedicated volunteers from all over our great state of Oregon,” Kendoll continued. “I hope that our elected leaders from President Obama on down to Governor Kitzhaber and the Oregon legislature get the message that rather than reward illegal entry, the people of Oregon, and Americans in general, want our laws against illegal immigration enforced,” she added.

Protect Oregon Driver’s Licenses is a supporting issue committee registered with the State of Oregon. Cynthia Kendoll is also President of Oregonians for Immigration Reform (www.oregonir.org), a statewide organization advocating for common sense immigration law reform and enforcement.