driver's license

Anti-driver's card rally set for Saturday in Salem

Come Saturday, rain or shine, the two groups responsible for challenging a state law that would have granted "driver's cards" to Oregonians who couldn't prove legal residency, will be rallying on a street in Salem to promote a no-vote on Measure 88.

It has been a long and contentious issue, and with less than 45 days until the November general election, Oregonians for Immigration Reform and the Protect Oregon Driver Licenses organization, are galvanizing their grass-roots supporters to demonstrate against the measure.

The two groups submitted enough signatures last October to the Secretary of State's office to qualify their referendum for the 2014 ballot. They were propelled into action last spring when the state Legislature approved a bill to grant limited-duration driver's cards (not licenses) to residents who were unable to prove their residency but otherwise complied with requirements for driving privileges and had resided in Oregon for more than one year. With the qualification of the ballot measure, the law was prevented from going into effect in January.

The bill, SB 833, had bipartisan support when the governor signed it in May 2013. It also was endorsed by numerous religious groups, agricultural interests and a few law enforcement personnel who saw it as a way to help educate new drivers, enable more of them to qualify for, and buy, car insurance, and help families meet daily obligations. Some viewed it as a means to make Oregon's roads safer for all.

But the OFIR and PODL groups believed otherwise, and criticized the Legislature for not allowing Oregonians to decide on what they see is an immigration issue.

To illustrate their point, on Saturday, before the sidewalk demonstration, the groups will host Derek Hernandez, vice president of the western region of the National Border Patrol Council. The NBPC is a union representing non-supervisory border patrol agents.

Jim Ludwick, a spokesman for OFIR, said the group is excited Hernandez has agreed to speak about other state-issued identification similar to Oregon's proposed driver's card and how it adds to the immigration crisis at the nation's borders. His position is that residents should vote "no" on Measure 88.

Cynthia Kendoll, OFIR president who recently returned from a border-patrol summit in El Paso, Texas, said she is hopeful the weather will hold out and there will be a strong show of support at the demonstration.

"The number of people really depends on the weather," Kendoll said. "But we're hopeful."

Rep. Sal Esquivel of Medford and Rep. Kim Thatcher of Keizer, who is running for the state senate, also will attend the meeting before the rally. Both are sponsors of the Veto Referendum on SB 833, which became Ballot Measure 88.

OFIR and PODL say they are staffed by unpaid volunteers who work to preserve the safety and well being of the state and nation. However, their campaign has received nearly $100,000 from 88-year-old Loren Parks, a Nevada resident who owns Parks Medical Electronics, Inc. in Aloha, who has financed myriad ballot measure petitions and campaigns since the mid-1990s. He is represented by Salem attorney Kevin Mannix, himself a chief ballot-campaign petitioner.

Oregonians for Immigration Reform and Protect Oregon Driver Licenses will meet at approximately 4:15 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 outside of the Best Western Mill Creek Inn, 3125 Ryan Drive SE, Salem. Participants are encouraged to bring American flags and take yard signs for the protest on Mission Street SE adjacent to the Costco parking lot.

NOTE:  The Parks contribution was for the referendum signature gathering campaign. Parks has NOT contributed to the PODL election campaign.

NOTE:  Supporters of Ballot Measure 88 have been given well over $200,000 by unions, businesses that benefit from an illegal work force and groups that advocate for illegal aliens.  Why was that not reported in this story? Read more about Anti-driver's card rally set for Saturday in Salem

Members of law enforcement community oppose driver card measure

David Cross writes on immigration issues and foreign national crime.  In his recently published opinion piece in the Bend Bulletin, he weaves together the layers of law enforcement support that Ballot Measure 88 has attracted.  Local, state and national law enforcement officers know that giving state issued ID to people in the country illegally is just plain wrong - it's as simple as that!

Derek Hernandez will be the special guest speaker at the Saturday, Sept. 27 meeting campaign kick-off meeting.

 


  Read more about Members of law enforcement community oppose driver card measure

Law enforcement encourages a NO vote on 88

Protect Oregon Driver Licenses has garnered not only the attention, but the endorsement of law enforcement officers across the state - and the country!

Michael Cutler - INS Senior Special agent (retired) - well known, frequently published and a popular guest on numerous radio and TV shows, has stepped forward not only with his endorsement, but with a well penned Voter Pamphlet Statement, as well.

Derek Hernandez - Border Patrol Council Union Vice President for the Western United States has also endorsed our efforts to overturn SB 833.  His Voter Pamphlet Statement references the threats we all face by putting a state-issued ID into the hands of the those in the country illegally.

Learn more about all of our endorsers.

SPECIAL NOTE:  OFIR - PODL will welcome Derek Hernandez as our guest speaker at our big campaign kick-off meeting next Saturday, September 27 at 2:00pm.  We will get together at the Best Western Mill Creek Inn across from Costco in Salem.

If you have any questions, please call 503.435.0141 for more information.

  Read more about Law enforcement encourages a NO vote on 88

Marion County GOP discusses Ballot Measure 88 this evening

Alert date: 
September 18, 2014
Alert body: 
The Marion County Republicans will meet this evening.  On the agenda - Ballot Measure 88!  Every Marion County Repubican is invited to attend!
 
WHEN
September 18, 2014 at 7pm - 9pm
 
WHERE
Peoples Church - Rooms A & B
4500 Lancaster Dr NE
Salem, OR 97305

 


 

Multnomah County GOP to discuss Ballot Measure 88 this evening

Alert date: 
September 15, 2014
Alert body: 

This evening at the Airport Shilo Inn at 6:30pm - the Multnomah County Republican Central Committee members will meet to hear Cynthia Kendoll - Authorized Agent for the Protect Oregon Driver Licenses campaign as she de-bunks misinformation regarding Ballot Measure 88 and issuing driver cards to people in the US illegally. 

Vote NO on Ballot Measure 88 
 

NO on 88 - Fall Campaign Kick-off this Sat. Sept. 27th

Alert date: 
September 23, 2014
Alert body: 

Plan to attend our meeting this Saturday, Sept. 27 at 2:00 pm at the Best Western Mill Creek Inn - in Salem. It will likely be one of the most important meetings in OFIR - PODL history. 

We will be kicking into high gear our Vote NO on Ballot Measure 88 campaign.  We will have all three of our Chief Petitioners joining us at the meeting.  Rep. Kim Thatcher, Rep. Sal Esquivel and Rick LaMountain.

We will bring everyone up-to-date on what the campaign has accomplished to date and what we still need to do to be certain we WIN BIG in November.  Yard signs will be available for you to take home and display to help spread the word.  Ask your friends and neighbors if they would like you to pick one up for them, too - if they can't attend the meeting.

And there's more! 

Derek Hernandez, Vice President, Western Region, National Border Patrol Council from San Diego, will be our very special guest speaker.  He will connect the dots between the crisis on the border and the attraction of a state issued ID - like a driver card.  There will be time for your related questions, too!  Derek is an endorser of the Protect Oregon Driver Licenses campaign - and has written a Voter Pamphlet Statement in opposition to Ballot Measure 88.

Right after the meeting - we plan to hold a 10 minute rally out on Mission Street to wave our NO on Ballot Measure 88 signs.  If you have American flags you can bring along to wave - please do so!

 

 


 

Lines drawn in alternative driver's license debate

Supporters say measure would improve safety on Oregon streets; opponents worry it would make state vulnerable to fraud

In the ongoing national debate about immigration reform, Oregon was one of a number of states to make changes to driver’s license policies in 2013.

The Legislature’s response was Senate Bill 833, which was intended to make four-year “driver cards” available to residents who cannot prove their legal presence in the United States.

The bill was approved, but before it was enacted, a veto referendum was successful in placing the issue on the ballot for the Nov. 4 general election.

The driver card would differ from an Oregon driver’s license in several ways, including that the card would be valid for only four years, as compared to the license’s eight.

The card, like the license, would also require applicants to pass written and behind-the-wheel tests, provide proof of residency in Oregon for at least one year and provide proof of identity and date of birth.

But that’s not enough for Jim Ludwick, communications director for the political action committee Oregonians for Immigration Reform and the Protect Oregon Driver’s Licenses (PODL, pronounced “poe-dle”) committee.

Ludwick said his organization, which led the referendum effort, is worried that SB 833, if enacted, would make the state and its licensing offices more susceptible to foreign criminals and drug traffickers.

“(Interstate 5)?is a major artery for Mexican drug cartels,” Ludwick said. “And they want these driver cards. I think the feeling is, if they have a driver card, they can go anywhere.”

Ludwick said he is worried that SB 833 would reinstate the practice of Matrícula Consular cards being accepted by the Department of Motor Vehicles as proof of identification.

Although issued by the government of Mexico with a number of security features, the card has been criticized by U.S. law enforcement officials and agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as being unreliable and highly vulnerable to fraud.

Ludwick is afraid that, under SB 833, a criminal could falsify a Matrícula card, then use it to obtain a driver card, in which case the state would be effectively lending legitimacy to the fraudulent identity.

“That would basically be Oregon verifying that this is the person whose face agrees with that name,” he said.

Ludwick said the current law in Oregon already allows legal immigrants or temporary residents to obtain driver’s licenses, but the licenses are valid only for the duration of the individual’s documented legal presence in the country.

As further evidence of safety concerns associated with the measure, Ludwick pointed out that the referendum has been publicly supported by a number of law enforcement officials, including Clatsop County Sheriff Tom Bergin, former Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller and the Sheriffs of Oregon political action committee.

But Caroline Fitchett, campaign director for Yes on 88, rebutted Ludwick’s claims. She said there are “important safeguards required in order to obtain a driver card,” designed to address safety concerns.

“The facial recognition feature, proof of identity and proof of residency in Oregon for at least one year are key requirements the DMV will utilize in order to prevent fraud,”?she said.

She pointed out that law enforcement officials have also supported the Yes on 88 campaign, including retired Hillsboro Police Chief Ron Louie.

Other proponents of Yes on 88 includes dozens of Latino and migrant workers’ advocates, civil rights groups, labor unions and religious organizations, including the Woodburn-based farmworkers union PCUN.

“Oregon’s neighboring states, Washington, California and Nevada, have laws that allow all Oregon residents to get tested and insured to drive,” Fitchett said. “By passing Measure 88, Oregon would join our neighboring states in making this needed change for public safety.”

Fitchett also said that, under Measure 88, the driver card could not be used as valid ID? in the way that a driver’s license can.

“The driver card is limited for driving purposes only,” she said. “The driver card cannot be used as identification to board a plane, register to vote, buy a gun or obtain government benefits.”

She said the card would comply with Congress’ 2005 Real ID Act, so it could not be used for any federal identification purposes. She added that, as a matter of federal law, a state-issued driver card could not convey or change anyone’s immigration status.

In addition to helping the families of undocumented workers, Fitchett said the measure would assist senior citizens who are unable to access their birth certificate or were never issued one.

If Measure 88 is approved in November, the law could take effect in as little as 30 days. Read more about Lines drawn in alternative driver's license debate

At what cost? OFIR endorser challenges the President to visit his sons grave

A U.S. citizen, a husband and a grief stricken father demands the President of the United States visit his son's grave in hopes the President will finally see the consequences of his horrific immigration policies.  Read the entire article. Read more about At what cost? OFIR endorser challenges the President to visit his sons grave

Poll: Driver card measure 88 landslide

The Taxpayer Association & TAO-PAC are bringing you ANOTHER exclusive poll.

Our first poll helped show the early results of the nationally watched GOP Senate Primary. Our next poll showed Gov. Kitzhaber close to losing his race for Governor.

In this poll, we targeted the most talked about race on the ballot — the driver card Measure 88. In our postscript, we show how many other states are wrestling with this issue and why this issue deserves a deeper look regardless of whether it passes or not.

A professional and scientific poll of 400+ Oregon voters was conducted by local polling firm NW Market Research in August 2014.

A full 67% reject Measure 88.

Based on reading the ballot title, 67% of Oregon voters would not pass Measure 88. A smaller 27% would vote to approve Measure 88. Those who were unsure/unknown stood at 5%. Full details here.

Immigration is one of America’s most complex issues and so is this measure. Therefore we divided the measure into distinct parts to see Oregon voters opinions on each aspect of the measure.

- I.D. Requirements Idea: The idea that the Measure allows some level of identification (proof of ID, residence, proof of birth) but not citizenship failed to sway voters. Only 35% considered this favorable.

- Improve Road Safety claim: The idea that the measure would improve road safety by allowing more people to take a driver’s test & have insurance was a stronger facet of the Measure as 44% agreed with the statement.

- Helps people follow law: The concept that the Measure helps people follow the law was supported by 43% of Oregonians — but still not a majority.

- Federal law factor: Another concept is that Oregon is a victim to the failure of Federal laws to deal with immigration. This idea was received by only 37% of Oregonians.

- Total support of positive claims: Combing all of the four positive concepts of the measure leaves voters only supporting the measure by 41%. Roughly 50% would oppose.

The Measure was brought to voters in the form of a referendum. These opponents of driver cards have a list of problems they see will occurring in Oregon if the Measure passes. We tested their negative concepts.

- Fraudulent paperwork claim: The concept that if Measure 88 were passed it would increase fraudulent paperwork as experienced in other states had a measure of support with 39% increasing their opposition to the measure based on this claim.

- Increased illegal activity: The concept that driver cards becomes a catalyst for increased illegal activity surrounding immigration was tested and found that a stronger 52% felt more opposition to the measure based on this idea.

- Law enforcement support: The concept that driver cards is a law enforcement issue supported by Oregon Sheriffs had a 40% level support for opposition to the measure.

- Illegal is illegal: The least effective concept was the common phrase that “illegal-is-illegal” and that the state should not be complicit. This idea garnered small support of 36% who felt this claim increased their opposition to the measure.

- Total of negative claims: After sharing all of the negative claims made on Measure 88 the total impact amounted to 58% of voters opposing the measure.

POSTSCRIPT: Oregon’s not alone — states across nation struggle with this issue.

Whether Measure 88 passes or fails, it will be a long & reoccurring issue for lawmakers to handle. This is why every lawmaker and policy expert must examine our poll and see the nuanced and detailed reasons behind voter’s concerns on this issue. States are experiencing problems as they seek to implement laws allowing undocumented immigrants to apply for driver’s licenses. In Colorado, a law went into effect this summer, but the demand for appointments has been so high that the state’s motor vehicle scheduling website was overwhelmed. The site shut down several times when it began scheduling appointments.

Colorado is only offering application appointments in five of its 37 DMV offices, forcing many unlicensed immigrants to travel long distances to get to an office. The state argues that it can’t expand its services without raising the cost of the applications.

In Illinois, a state with a large number of undocumented workers, has so many immigrants attempting to apply that the waiting period for an appointment is about three months.

California, home to about 1.4 million undocumented immigrants, will begin accepting applications in January. The state has had to create a new design for its licenses because the federal government ruled that the licenses were too similar to their traditional driver’s license.

The Taxpayer Association encourages all policy makers and leaders to absorb the lessons from other states and learn from the survey data provided. After the election is often too late to go back and inquire what the principles and concerns voters had before the influence of advertisement, voter turn-out or the impact of the issue being settled after an election. Read more about Poll: Driver card measure 88 landslide

Photos tell the story - OFIR and PODL thank our fantastic volunteers

Protect Oregon Driver Licenses would like to thank our fantastic friends and volunteers that spent time answering questions about Ballot Measure 88 in our booth at the Oregon State Fair.

It was hot, the days were long, the floor was hard - but there they were - our volunteers!  Cheerful, respectful and happy to answer questions and hand out pens, pencils, information and fans to help keep folks cool in the heat.

Monday, Labor Day, is the last day of the Fair.  We have been overwhelmed by the kind words of support and encouragement for what we are doing and from people of all ages and from every corner of the state.  Remember to Vote NO on Ballot Measure 88.

Visit our photo gallery and check out our booth!
  Read more about Photos tell the story - OFIR and PODL thank our fantastic volunteers

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