Election-2026-Oregon

Oregon voters have rejected a gas tax increase passed last year by Democratic lawmakers. Tuesday’s outcome is a win for Republicans, who put the issue before voters as the Iran war was causing prices at the pump to soar. Democrats last fall raised the state gas tax by 6 cents a gallon and increased a series of fees to help pay for road maintenance and plug a hole in the state’s transportation budget. Republicans responded by launching the referendum campaign to refer the tax and fee increases to voters, who trounced the measure at the polls.

A federal judge is declining to halt President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to create a national list of eligible voters and limit mail voting. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington late Wednesday rejected arguments by Democrats and civil rights groups that the provision exceeds the Republican president's powers. The Constitution gives the power to set election rules to the states and Congress, not the president. No matter how rapidly Trump's administration acts, no voting changes are expected during primary elections, which continue into next month. Attention now shifts to Boston, where another challenge to the executive order is in federal court.