Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregonians will be deciding a number of ballot issues this election, including Ballot Measure 63.  Measure 63 would allow homeowners to make up to $35,000 per year in certain improvements without getting a permit. 

As Pete Springer reports, in a year with a presidential election and a highly contested U.S. Senate race, Measure 63 is a ballot measure that is largely under the radar of most Oregonians.

Measure 63 is one of five measures on the ballot that was sponsored by Bill Sizemore.

Reached by phone last week, Sizemore said he didn’t have time to talk about the measure since he was preparing for a court hearing. 

There is no organized campaign for the ballot measure.

But in previous interviews, Sizemore said his inspiration for Measure 63 came to him while sitting in a Home Depot parking lot.  He suspected most customers didn’t have permits for their home improvement projects.

So he decided to change the law since people weren’t following it anyway.

Measure 63 doesn’t get rid of all home improvement permits. 

It still requires permits for structural changes to a house.  And electrical work would need to be approved by a licensed electrical contractor.

But Tim Birr, with the No on 63 campaign, says that’s not enough.

Tim Birr “We expect buildings to obey certain rules in terms of structural integrity.”

Birr is a retired firefighter.  He says it’s crucial for firefighters to have an idea of what they’re up against when responding to fires, and building permits ensure that.

Tim Birr “We expect that interior walls are going to be adequately sheet rocked to provide fire resistance and to compartmentalize the fire so it doesn’t spread more rapidly than it’s supposed to.”

As an example, Birr cites a rash of home fires in Oregon caused by wood stoves during the seventies.

Tim Birr “They found out that in every case the problem wasn’t with the stove, it was with the installation of the stove.”

Once permits were required for woodstove installation, the number of wood stove related house fires dropped dramatically.

Another concern for Birr is that he says Measure 63 is poorly worded.

Tim Birr: “What constitutes $35,000 worth of work?  Is it an assessed or appraised estimate of the value of that work?  Is it the cost of the raw materials that somebody buys to do that work?  Is it, does your own labor count for something like that?”

Richard Burke is not a fan of Bill Sizemore – as a Libertarian party candidate, Burke ran against Sizemore  for governor in 1998.

But Burke does support Measure 63.  He says homeowners have a vested interest in doing home improvement work properly.

Richard Burke “If I own a house, I’m responsible for the house.  If I want to make a modest improvement in my house -- should I be able to do that without a nanny state looking over my shoulder?  That principle is what this measure is about and I think most people will agree.”

That may be the case, but when it comes to passing ballot measures, OPB’s political analyst Bill Lunch says other factors come into play too.

For voters, says Lunch, a simple, easy to understand ballot title is crucial.

Measure 63 has that. 

But what it doesn’t have is an active campaign to support it, which Lunch says is another important factor in passing ballot measures.

Bill Lunch “If there’s no campaign in favor and there is a campaign in opposition, then the opponents are likely to prevail, and conversely, if there’s a campaign in favor but no campaign against, then the proponents are likely to prevail.”

Lunch also says voters can be influenced by opinion leaders such as newspaper editorials or union leaders. 

And so far, most of them are against Measure 63.

Measure 63 and the four other initiatives on this ballot sponsored by Sizemore are currently under investigation by the Secretary of State for alleged signature fraud.

Those investigations are unlikely to wrap up by the election.