2023 Democratic Party of Oregon Platform
Article 1: Economy & Labor
Article 2: Education
Article 3: Environment
Article 4: Foreign Policy and National Security
Article 5: Healthcare and Public Health
Article 6: Human Rights
Article 7: Infrastructure
Article 8: Protecting Democracy
Article 9: Science and Technology
Preamble:
The Democratic Party of Oregon commits itself to the principles and positions contained in this platform in order to secure a more just and prosperous future for all Oregonians across our 36 counties. We recognize and embrace our shared rights and responsibilities. We affirm that every person is guaranteed rights to life, liberty, equity, and the pursuit of happiness. In exercising these rights for ourselves and guaranteeing them for others, we respect the interdependent web of life on this planet.
We promise to work to uphold the protections granted to us by our state and national constitutions and to act on our responsibilities to ensure that “We the People” govern this nation. We steadfastly oppose any attempt to dilute those rights and liberties in the name of political convenience or security. We affirm that the greatness of our nation is in its diversity and its ability to move forward with full understanding of our historical strengths and weaknesses. We invite all Oregonians, wherever they may be, to join us in affirming our determination to make and keep Oregon a beacon of opportunity, acceptance and freedom.
Article 1: Economy & Labor
Oregon Democrats know that workers form the bedrock of our economy. The labor contributed by workers allows for the entrepreneurial drive of small businesses and the stability offered by larger-scale community investments. As such, our approach to solution-making must be all-encompassing, tackling the historical damages caused by past policies, to enable the full participation of all Oregonians in the economy. This entails crafting meaningful legislation which addresses pressing issues, including but not limited to the rapidly increasing wealth gap, insufficient investment in basic social programs and public infrastructure (especially in communities of color), practices surrounding corporate subsidies, childcare and housing insecurity, food insecurity, and inequitable access to legal aid services. These injustices persist due to intentional neglect, white supremacy, and policies that currently disproportionately favor the wealthy–exacerbating hardships felt by the poorest and most vulnerable members of our state.
Planks:
Article 2: Education
Oregon Democrats believe public education is the foundation of democracy and essential to an informed citizenry. We support accessible, high-quality public education from preschool through post-secondary, including college and trade programs. Fully funded public education, in accordance with the Quality Education Model, provides the basis for a well-functioning economy and democracy and must be prioritized. School cultures must highlight dynamic learning environments of engaged learners and teachers, applying critical and creative thinking that connects the classroom, the school, the home, and the community. It is our belief that every student, irrespective of neurodiversity, sexual orientation, gender expression, race, ethnicity, cultural background, or socioeconomic status, deserves a comprehensive education tailored to individual needs. We believe schools must provide a safe environment physically, emotionally, and intellectually, and that all students and staff should feel safe, secure, and supported.
Planks:
Article 3: Environment
Oregon Democrats recognize that the current climate emergency requires immediate action to avoid catastrophic warming, crossing tipping points, and triggering irreversible impacts that threaten to make our planet uninhabitable. We support an aggressive and robust timeline for implementing controls on greenhouse gas emissions in all sectors of the economy. We support improving Oregon’s resilience to climate threats, the elimination of “forever chemicals” and plastics, and securing an environment free of nuclear radiation. We encourage legislation that takes a proactive approach to all chemicals and products placed in the consumer sector. We advocate for environmental justice, equity, and inclusion. We call for the centering and protection of historically marginalized populations, particularly Indigenous nations, in discussions and policies that affect the environment, and demand that legislation include Free Prior and Informed Consent of tribal nations. Our efforts to protect the planet and save humanity from climate disasters must be focused and measurable.
Planks:
Article 4: Foreign Policy and National Security
Oregon Democrats recognize that our responsibilities extend beyond state and national boundaries and that our security and welfare require global cooperation. We believe that national security also includes conditions within our own country regarding dangers to democracy, domestic terrorism, and denial of rights and opportunities. We believe in strong military and cyber security defenses, while being supportive and observant of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva Conventions, and other legitimate international treaties. We support the primacy of diplomacy and technological and humanitarian assistance to combat global crises, with the use of military power as a last resort. Our military should be strong enough to protect us from foreign state and non-state threats. Our ultimate foreign policy goal is a world free from war and oppression.
Planks:
Article 5: Healthcare and Public Health
Oregon Democrats believe that society thrives when everyone has access to a comprehensive universal public health and services infrastructure, including universally accessible medical, dental, hearing, vision and behavioral health. This system must center on patient dignity and respect and should include a strong social safety net that provides the basic necessities of life. The absence of a robust, comprehensive mental and behavioral healthcare system is leading to preventable death and disability among Oregonians—destroying lives, causing trauma, and undermining the health and economy of the State. The absence of equitable, evidence-based measures that counter serious threats to public safety and public health is an avoidable and immoral policy failure.
Planks:
Article 6: Human Rights
Oregon Democrats champion inviolable Constitutional rights, including the Bill of Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, while resolutely demanding impartial treatment for all. We believe in a society where everyone’s rights are protected—where we all have the freedom to pursue happiness—and where equity and justice are the rule instead of the exception. Therefore, we are committed to eliminating oppression wherever and whenever it is found.
Planks:
Article 7: Infrastructure
Oregon Democrats support maintaining and updating our nation’s infrastructure including: water, wastewater, transportation, energy, and communication systems; public and educational facilities; housing, food supply, health and social support networks; parks and open spaces, environmental monitoring, and the United States Postal Service. We support new infrastructure projects that prepare for a future that includes the realities of climate change, rapid technological change, and increased worldwide interdependency. We support state, national, and international pollution reduction programs aimed at accelerating the transition to clean-energy infrastructure. We believe in using the best peer-reviewed science and technology to develop and maintain essential infrastructure and to prevent and prepare to combat natural, technological, public health, terrorist, or other infrastructure disruptions. We believe that critical elements of infrastructure, particularly relating to water supply, transportation access, the internet, and hazard response must remain in public ownership.
Planks:
Article 8: Protecting Democracy
Oregon Democrats believe that our government derives its authority and power from the people it governs as outlined in the United States Constitution. We hold that all voting-age citizens must have the right and responsibility to vote without encumbrance in local and national elections. We believe that neither socioeconomic status nor demographics should be allowed to limit participation in and influence on the political process. We are committed to open, responsive, transparent and honest government. We believe that corporations are not people and money is not speech; corporations and other non-human legal entities have rights that are defined and must be limited, in law, by the people. We believe the government has a primary responsibility to foster an economy and society that allows all people to thrive. We recognize that sustaining our democracy in the face of foreign and domestic challenges will always require vigilance, common effort, and diligence.
Planks:
Oregon Democrats believe evidence-based science should form the basis for many of the decisions the government makes, particularly regarding health and the environment. Basic research in science and technology are cornerstones for the future. We welcome innovation in all scientific arenas; however, the scientific community has the responsibility to protect the public from harm caused by incomplete understanding or misapplication of new technologies. We embrace the new frontiers of discovery and development in science, medicine, information, artificial intelligence, robotics, energy, transportation, space sciences, ocean sciences, and new fields as they emerge. We recognize that our global integration requires attention to the broad societal impacts of these developments.
Planks:
Article 2: Education
Article 3: Environment
Article 4: Foreign Policy and National Security
Article 5: Healthcare and Public Health
Article 6: Human Rights
Article 7: Infrastructure
Article 8: Protecting Democracy
Article 9: Science and Technology
Preamble:
The Democratic Party of Oregon commits itself to the principles and positions contained in this platform in order to secure a more just and prosperous future for all Oregonians across our 36 counties. We recognize and embrace our shared rights and responsibilities. We affirm that every person is guaranteed rights to life, liberty, equity, and the pursuit of happiness. In exercising these rights for ourselves and guaranteeing them for others, we respect the interdependent web of life on this planet.
We promise to work to uphold the protections granted to us by our state and national constitutions and to act on our responsibilities to ensure that “We the People” govern this nation. We steadfastly oppose any attempt to dilute those rights and liberties in the name of political convenience or security. We affirm that the greatness of our nation is in its diversity and its ability to move forward with full understanding of our historical strengths and weaknesses. We invite all Oregonians, wherever they may be, to join us in affirming our determination to make and keep Oregon a beacon of opportunity, acceptance and freedom.
Article 1: Economy & Labor
Oregon Democrats know that workers form the bedrock of our economy. The labor contributed by workers allows for the entrepreneurial drive of small businesses and the stability offered by larger-scale community investments. As such, our approach to solution-making must be all-encompassing, tackling the historical damages caused by past policies, to enable the full participation of all Oregonians in the economy. This entails crafting meaningful legislation which addresses pressing issues, including but not limited to the rapidly increasing wealth gap, insufficient investment in basic social programs and public infrastructure (especially in communities of color), practices surrounding corporate subsidies, childcare and housing insecurity, food insecurity, and inequitable access to legal aid services. These injustices persist due to intentional neglect, white supremacy, and policies that currently disproportionately favor the wealthy–exacerbating hardships felt by the poorest and most vulnerable members of our state.
Planks:
- We believe that we must act urgently to address the growing wealth inequality crisis in America. We support a minimum wage tied to the cost-of-living in our communities and believe that all workers should be paid a living wage.
- We believe that locally-based realistic cost-of-living data must be used to determine income limits for government welfare programs. We oppose business practices that circumvent labor and benefits laws that force workers onto public assistance programs, passing tax burdens onto the public.
- We believe workers are the primary source of profits and must be able to organize for collective bargaining free of intimidation or coercion. We oppose legislation, policies, and efforts that attempt to restrict these rights.
- We believe that it is the duty of businesses to reinvest in the community in which it operates, as the corporate form takes full advantage of the stability provided by a prosperous economy.
- We support strong labor laws that protect workers, especially agricultural, natural resource, seasonal and migrant workers, who comprise the backbone of our agricultural system. As these workers increasingly suffer economic disruption due to climate change, their protection is of the utmost importance.
- We support expanding workplace rights and protections for all workers, including independent contractors and gig workers, in all employment contracts and company policies, including flextime, hazard pay, compensatory time, fair scheduling, work-life balance, worker classification, and paid parental and family leave. We support the elimination of at-will employment.
- We believe that equal pay for equal work is essential to achieving economic equality and support evidence-based efforts to close gender and race wage gaps.
- We believe the government plays a key role in creating and supporting a vibrant economy through investments in infrastructure and social services. We believe that all businesses and individuals must pay their fair share in taxes to support these systems because they benefit us all.
- We believe all workers have the right to retire with security and dignity. We fully support protections for public retirement systems and maintain that all retirement accounts should be fully protected. We support a secure Social Security System with accurate cost-of-living adjustments. We oppose changes reducing the standard of living.
- We support diverse, equitable, and high-quality educational pathways to living wages for all Oregonians. We further support the creation and maintenance of apprenticeship programs for a wide range of occupations, incorporating collaboration among schools, community colleges, unions, and businesses. We oppose public funding of privately-controlled apprenticeships and training programs.
- We support strong governmental regulation to prevent and correct monopolies and industries considered “too-big-to-fail” because they represent unacceptable economic risks to workers and their families. We support efforts to cap the rampant wealth disparity, and seek to create a more equitable Oregon for all workers.
- We support efforts that will expand economic opportunities to all corners of Oregon with a focus on creating sustainable clean energy jobs that provide growth opportunities for employers and employees alike. We support incentives for businesses to meaningfully transition to clean energy and climate-protective operations.
- We affirm small businesses are critical to the success of our economy and believe in supporting them by improving access to resources that help them thrive. We support programs that facilitate ownership and operating loans, including but not limited to local farmers, ranchers, foresters, and fishers.
- We support prioritizing grants and support for small businesses, especially those owned and operated by Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color, who have historically had less access to capital. We further oppose tax structures that protect and insulate big business at the expense of the taxpayer.
- We recognize that poverty poses a direct, ongoing threat to the exercise of freedom and dignity in a democratic society. A strong, accessible safety net is crucial for the well-being and economic security of all. Social programs must never be privatized, and unnecessary burdens, including means testing, must be eliminated.
- We believe companies must be held responsible for their impacts on Oregon’s people and environment. We support judicial dissolution for companies that intentionally cause pollution, death or destruction, whether from products, practices, or advertising.
- We support prevailing wage laws and project labor agreements. We support the establishment and organization of worker cooperatives and worker-managed enterprises.
- We believe Democratic political parties, PACs, legislators, and campaigns should meet or exceed the planks of this platform in their employment practices.
Article 2: Education
Oregon Democrats believe public education is the foundation of democracy and essential to an informed citizenry. We support accessible, high-quality public education from preschool through post-secondary, including college and trade programs. Fully funded public education, in accordance with the Quality Education Model, provides the basis for a well-functioning economy and democracy and must be prioritized. School cultures must highlight dynamic learning environments of engaged learners and teachers, applying critical and creative thinking that connects the classroom, the school, the home, and the community. It is our belief that every student, irrespective of neurodiversity, sexual orientation, gender expression, race, ethnicity, cultural background, or socioeconomic status, deserves a comprehensive education tailored to individual needs. We believe schools must provide a safe environment physically, emotionally, and intellectually, and that all students and staff should feel safe, secure, and supported.
Planks:
- We believe in fully-funded, free public education from preschool through the university level, as well as apprenticeship programs.
- We recognize that poverty impacts student learning and opportunity. We support free, comprehensive, year-round nutrition programs (including breakfast and lunch), and access to transportation, childcare, technology, internet, and other resources that overcome economic disparity.
- We oppose efforts to weaken public education, including efforts to intimidate or control school boards; harass and dismiss educators without cause; ban books that show the diversity of the human experience; and teach inaccurate or narrow curricula for political ends.
- We oppose the movement to undermine higher education quality by over-using and under-compensating part-time faculty; eliminating tenure for full-time faculty; and deprofessionalizing teaching, through such practices as the inappropriate use of artificial intelligence.
- We oppose public funding for parochial and charter schools managed by for-profit corporations. We oppose school vouchers and tuition tax credit programs that divert public resources to private and religious schools that are unaccountable to taxpayers, undermine public school funding, and create a two-tier education system.
- We support publicly funded, full-day, full-year, universal public preschool options. All preschool programs must be child-centered, culturally appropriate, fully inclusive, and designed to facilitate each child's physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development.
- We support positive, collaborative, and inclusive participation by all learning community members, including teachers, administrators, staff, school board members, and parents, in site-based and district-wide planning processes to meet the needs of all students. We encourage student participation where appropriate.
- We support policies that ensure the safety of students and staff in the classroom and on school grounds, and that reduce bullying, intimidation, disrupted learning, and excessive discipline. We support the complete protection of students’ privacy, human rights, and civil liberties.
- We support the right of educational professionals to collectively bargain for improved student learning opportunities; working conditions, including class size and caseload; wages and benefits; classroom safety; and job security. Oregon should safeguard public school faculty and staff from arbitrary dismissals to prevent educational disruptions and financial harm to schools.
- We support broad educational curricula including music and the arts, civics, science, technology and engineering, math, history, economics, languages, literacy in media and climate, as well as other disciplines that develop well-rounded members of society.
- We endorse historically and scientifically accurate instruction that is respectful of diverse student populations and in service to mastering academic skills, critical thinking, and information literacy. We believe smaller class sizes and caseloads better meet student needs. We support diverse assessment strategies throughout the year to measure student proficiency.
- We support inclusive learning environments. We advocate for diverse educational settings, in which teachers and staff mirror the student body.
- We oppose the school-to-prison pipeline, as it disproportionately affects Black, Indigenous, and other students of color, causing irreparable harm to their education. We also oppose police presence in schools, which leads to increased trauma, arrests, and intimidation of students, starting as young as age five.
- We believe in educational curricula that include and promote understanding of diverse historical scopes and perspectives, including non-Western ways of learning and histories of marginalized racial, ethnic, and religious groups as well as those of disabled and queer populations.
- We believe that in order to be fully informed participants in society, students need comprehensive, science-based, and age-appropriate education in such topics as sex education, data and research literacy, evolution, and climate science.
- We believe educational programs must accommodate student needs including those of second language learners, students who experience neurodiversity, and talented and gifted students. We support providing equitable opportunities, access, and available resources, as required by the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- We believe in the use of consistent, transparent, and evidence-based educational standards taught by licensed, professional teachers. Students deserve to receive support from educational assistants and professionally licensed counselors, social workers, school nurses, mental health providers, school psychologists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, who should earn a living wage.
- We oppose predatory student loan practices and support the elimination of existing student loan debt.
- We believe that profound, transformative teaching, learning, and research depend on a diverse community with broad backgrounds and perspectives; this demands thoughtful inclusion of diverse populations in admitting and retaining students to institutions of higher learning. Education must support our multicultural democracy.
Article 3: Environment
Oregon Democrats recognize that the current climate emergency requires immediate action to avoid catastrophic warming, crossing tipping points, and triggering irreversible impacts that threaten to make our planet uninhabitable. We support an aggressive and robust timeline for implementing controls on greenhouse gas emissions in all sectors of the economy. We support improving Oregon’s resilience to climate threats, the elimination of “forever chemicals” and plastics, and securing an environment free of nuclear radiation. We encourage legislation that takes a proactive approach to all chemicals and products placed in the consumer sector. We advocate for environmental justice, equity, and inclusion. We call for the centering and protection of historically marginalized populations, particularly Indigenous nations, in discussions and policies that affect the environment, and demand that legislation include Free Prior and Informed Consent of tribal nations. Our efforts to protect the planet and save humanity from climate disasters must be focused and measurable.
Planks:
- We believe that all people have the inalienable right to a healthy environment and accessible natural spaces. We recognize the necessity of adequate clean air, clean water, and healthy soils. Thriving oceans, estuaries, freshwater ecosystems, rangelands, and forests are indispensable.
- We believe that policies related to the environment and our climate must be framed within our justice and equity goals, including the just transition of displaced workers, low-income communities and other historically marginalized populations. These policies must address the intentional placement of the dirtiest industrial practices near marginalized communities.
- We believe that rapidly reducing greenhouse gasses across all sectors and systems is paramount; including aggressive enforcement and monitoring for greenhouse gasses and all other environmental hazards. The reduction of greenhouse gasses will also demand an immediate divestment from fossil fuels and a rapid transition away from fossil fuel infrastructure.
- We advocate for policies that prioritize the carbon storage of Oregon’s natural and working lands, while balancing the needs of those who live on and work the land. We oppose using Oregon’s natural carbon storage as justification for carbon emissions through schemes such as carbon offsets.
- We believe we must act to protect native, keystone, endangered, and threatened species through evidence and equity-based efforts. All measures taken to protect and manage Oregon’s wildlife must include the free prior and informed consent and sustained collaboration of Oregon’s tribal nations.
- We believe public land, resources, and waterways are sacrosanct and should be held and managed for the common good. We encourage collaborative partnerships committed to acquiring land as a preserve for the common good. Land use regulations are essential for preserving farm, range, and forests and managing transportation.
- We believe that Oregon’s ecosystems should be valued, not by the amount of raw goods they offer, but by the ecosystem services they provide to our world, including but not limited to: habitat and biodiversity, oxygen production, air and water purification.
- We support policies that instill the sustainable management of Oregon’s resources through regenerative practices. Further, we advocate for swift management of Oregon’s water crisis by: expanding and protecting watersheds and aquifers; enacting water conservation, reclamation, and retention policies; and ensuring policies are enacted to prepare for periods of water scarcity.
- We support statewide waste reduction and the expansion of recycling and reuse programs, including rights to repair. We strongly support the elimination of fossil-fuel based plastics or other non-degradable products, beginning with non-recyclable and single-use plastics and stringent policies to regulate pollution.
- We oppose massive rail transport of fossil fuels through our state for export from it. We believe our state’s railways, rivers, and communities should not be threatened by the possibility of explosive derailment of frequent oil trains. We believe our leaders and regulatory bodies should do more to reduce and withdraw from such oil transport.
Article 4: Foreign Policy and National Security
Oregon Democrats recognize that our responsibilities extend beyond state and national boundaries and that our security and welfare require global cooperation. We believe that national security also includes conditions within our own country regarding dangers to democracy, domestic terrorism, and denial of rights and opportunities. We believe in strong military and cyber security defenses, while being supportive and observant of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Geneva Conventions, and other legitimate international treaties. We support the primacy of diplomacy and technological and humanitarian assistance to combat global crises, with the use of military power as a last resort. Our military should be strong enough to protect us from foreign state and non-state threats. Our ultimate foreign policy goal is a world free from war and oppression.
Planks:
- We pledge and affirm our commitments to honor international treaty obligations including the nine core international human rights instruments as published by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights.
- We pledge and affirm our support for the Geneva and Hague Conventions, the Rome Statute, the Nuremberg Principles, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mine Ban and other conventions that seek to reduce the impacts of warfare on civilian populations.
- We pledge our support for upholding and strengthening actions regarding the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and all subsequent agreements entered into by the Contracting Parties, including the Paris Climate accords and its successors. We believe climate change is a global emergency with catastrophic national security implications.
- We pledge to support and honor our commitments to international treaties for self-defense and cooperation, including our membership in the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, close cooperation with Canada and Mexico, and unapologetic support for vulnerable democracies around the world.
- We believe our military, foreign affairs, and intelligence agencies ought to be fully representative of American diversity including race, ethnicity, religion, age, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression.
- We support the G7 Leaders’ Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament and share their “commitment to achieving a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all.” We believe we must work globally toward nuclear disarmament and abolition of all weapons of mass destruction.
- We support global trade given consumer, labor, anti-corruption, and environmental protections that guarantee the health and well-being of affected people and places.
- All federal service personnel, including National Guard, Peace Corps, Foreign Service, etc. should be awarded their earned benefits. We should provide combat veterans with additional assistance in housing, healthcare, job training, education, and reintegration into civilian life.
- We oppose and condemn terrorism, genocide, torture, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, discrimination, religious persecution, political persecution, and unlawful and wrongful dentention/imprisonment.
- We support universal human rights; liberal, secular democracy; and free, fair, democratic elections worldwide that are free from corruption, violence, censorship, intimidation, misinformation, and foreign interference.
- We support treaties maintaining the moon and solar system as universal commons, including the 1967 Outer Space Treaty governing peaceful exploration and use of space, opposing weaponization and privatization of space and space exploration, including near-earth orbits. We oppose stationing weapons in space and military activities on celestial bodies.
- We support the use of foreign aid for purposes such as global health, nutrition, education, cultural expression, technological innovation, and anti-corruption and anti-terrorism efforts. Aid should support local, resilient, sustainable development.
- We believe that all state actors (including those who command and use armed forces and intelligence agencies) must be held accountable to international humanitarian laws and the accepted laws of war. We support active US participation in the International Court of Justice.
- We oppose the use of artificial intelligence and preprogrammed autonomous weapons in warfare or other conflict situations. The decision to fire or release a weapon must always be made by a human being, because computers cannot be held accountable for their actions.
- We support humane immigration policies that provide clear pathways to legal residence and citizenship for those who seek it. We oppose the separation of children from parents and other relatives during immigration processes.
- We support asylum for those fleeing oppression, violence, and climate change. We oppose unreasonable burdens for asylum-seekers, including asylum policies that presuppose ineligibility and forcing asylum-seekers to wait or settle outside the countries whose refuge they seek.
- We recognize the importance of our membership in international organizations such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. We value the diplomatic importance of these organizations.
- We support Congress asserting its constitutional role in declarations of war consistent with the War Powers Resolution of 1973. We believe that Authorizations for Use of Military Force must have a narrow focus and should be repealed once no longer necessary.
- We support competitive defense procurement processes to promote fair pricing, save taxpayer money, and provide our armed forces with the best quality equipment and services. We support the responsible disposition of military equipment. We oppose the transfer of military equipment to law enforcement agencies.
- We support downsized national military spending, including cutting billions from the defense budget and reallocating these funds to domestic spending. Military spending must never be a reason for austerity or reduced social spending. America’s commitment to “promote the general welfare” is part of what makes America worth defending.
- We oppose aggression and unilateral use of force by nation-states. We believe that sanctions must be carefully targeted to minimize harm against civilian populations and that military force should only be used as a last resort.
- We support efforts to build durable peace worldwide. We support international negotiations that include direct, good-faith participation by the parties involved, guaranteeing equality, health, security, and democracy for all people.
- We condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and continual aggression against its neighbors.
- We support domestic and foreign policies guided by human rights and democracy and believe that the United States should earnestly support all who work to uphold those principles.
- We support the principle of universal jurisdiction for prosecuting human rights violations.
- We oppose using all weapons and munitions that pose risks to civilians and the environment during and after armed conflict because they extend war trauma and environmental damage. We believe these munitions should be eliminated as part of a global effort to reach and maintain durable peace.
- We believe the Department of Defense should reduce its climate and environmental impacts.
Article 5: Healthcare and Public Health
Oregon Democrats believe that society thrives when everyone has access to a comprehensive universal public health and services infrastructure, including universally accessible medical, dental, hearing, vision and behavioral health. This system must center on patient dignity and respect and should include a strong social safety net that provides the basic necessities of life. The absence of a robust, comprehensive mental and behavioral healthcare system is leading to preventable death and disability among Oregonians—destroying lives, causing trauma, and undermining the health and economy of the State. The absence of equitable, evidence-based measures that counter serious threats to public safety and public health is an avoidable and immoral policy failure.
Planks:
- We believe it is a human right to have access to high-quality, evidence-based healthcare. We support the adoption of a seamless, equitable, comprehensive single-payer healthcare system that includes general, preventative, emergency, gender-affirming, abortion, fertility, and full-spectrum reproductive care, plus medications, vision, dental, hearing, and behavioral and mental health services.
- We believe that anyone who is pregnant has the absolute right to make informed decisions regarding their bodies and deserve access to affordable, high-quality, culturally-responsive care, including full-spectrum reproductive services, such as abortion, contraceptive, fertility, gender-affirming, and pregnancy care, without requiring parental, judicial, guardian, or spousal consent or notification.
- We believe that adequate and safe food and nutrition through local, state, and national level programs are key elements of public health. Poverty, houselessness, and hunger are unnecessary moral failings by our society.
- We support funding scientific research into gun violence as a public health issue. We respect the practices of hunting, sport shooting, and legal carry for self defense, including by marginalized people. We believe these practices can co-exist with equitable, evidence-based policies to reduce suicides, mass shootings, and street gun violence.
- We support equitable, evidence-based measures to address root causes of serious threats to public safety and public health, including racism; gun violence and suicide; domestic violence; houselessness and housing insecurity; poverty; food insecurity; substance-use disorder; behavioral addiction; epidemics; pandemics and endemics; and disparities due to race, gender, and sexual identity.
- We support the regulation and licensing of alternative healing practices and medicines, including acupuncture, medical cannabis, and psilocybin, particularly as they are used to relieve intractable pain and lessen the impacts of trauma.
- We believe all healthcare providers must provide language accessible and culturally sensitive services to their patients and their patients’ families and caretakers.
- We believe affordable access to needed prescription medication should be a right for all Oregonians and support authorizing state and federal governments to negotiate prices with transparency.
- We strongly promote the expansion of comprehensive, stable, and easily accessible mental health services including inpatient, outpatient, telemedicine, and residential care, when needed, regardless of patient circumstances.
- We believe approved and licensed vaccines are a critical component necessary to protect public health, as well as public education regarding the efficacy and safety of vaccination programs.
- We support robust collaboration between countries on research efforts and treatment methods for communicable diseases, and we believe that effective cooperation between national health services to control the spread of pandemic infections and improve health and wellness for all.
- We support having plentiful, fully-funded community health centers to provide high-quality care across the state, especially in rural areas and communities with more vulnerable populations. Racial equity and justice in healthcare must be followed by strategic planning, allocation of resources, and dismantling white supremacy in medical education.
- We believe that racism is a public health crisis.
- We believe that the scientific and healthcare communities need to address systemic racial, gender, and cultural biases in both care and research, in order to improve patient outcomes, prevent human suffering, and ensure that all people achieve self-determined lives.
- We believe in prioritizing the prevention of childhood traumas such as neglect, mental, physical and sexual abuse, and family violence.
- We believe that the right to informed consent and bodily autonomy, including for end of life and palliative care, is absolute and must not be broken, infringed or dishonored.
- We believe that private insurance must not profit from publicly-funded healthcare programs. Because increased premiums burden all vulnerable populations, we believe that any increase in Medicaid and Medicare premiums should be fully offset by Social Security benefit increases over and above the yearly cost-of-living increase.
- We recognize that health misinformation is a serious threat to the public and limiting the spread of misinformation and disinformation is a moral and civic imperative.
- We oppose harmful changes to publicly-funded health insurance that increase patient costs, harm patient outcomes, or reduce access to care.
- We support mandating that providers maintain standardized electronic health records with personal privacy, securely-protected and real-time access for all providers caring for a patient. We believe a seamless secure electronic health record is a foundation for a cost-effective, efficient, patient-centered system.
- We believe transphobia is a public health crisis.
- We believe that the full spectrum of gender-affirming care, including but not limited to mental health care, puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy, electrolysis, laser hair removal, voice training, and gender confirmation surgeries, is a human right for all who so desire it and is a critical element of bodily autonomy.
- We believe that gun companies should be held liable for the reckless use or negligent promotion and sales of their products, just like any other business.
- We believe that the federal government should ensure adequate and timely care for service members exposed to Agent Orange, depleted uranium, and other hazardous toxins or poisons.
- We believe that rights to healthcare enumerated in this Platform apply to incarcerated people, detained immigrants, and undocumented residents of our country. Moreover, the health of everyone in our communities affects the health of all.
- We believe substance use disorder is a medical condition, not criminal behavior. We support ongoing treatment including harm reduction, withdrawal support, and recovery services across Oregon.
Article 6: Human Rights
Oregon Democrats champion inviolable Constitutional rights, including the Bill of Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, while resolutely demanding impartial treatment for all. We believe in a society where everyone’s rights are protected—where we all have the freedom to pursue happiness—and where equity and justice are the rule instead of the exception. Therefore, we are committed to eliminating oppression wherever and whenever it is found.
Planks:
- We believe Black Lives Matter. We understand that white supremacy is deeply rooted in our society and justice system. We are committed to supporting policies and laws that break down racist structures and institutions because they stand in the way of the pursuit of freedom and justice for all.
- We believe in the right of all people to live dignified lives free from abuse, neglect, poverty, violence, oppression, coercion, preventable death, police harassment, and state-sanctioned killing. We support proactive, evidence-based measures to prevent suffering before it occurs and provide resources and relief afterward.
- We believe that historically oppressed groups such as Black, Indigenous and other communities of color, women, children, elderly, the medically fragile, LGBTQIA+ people, and people with disabilities deserve full protections under the law, irrespective of legal or immigration status.
- We believe bodily autonomy and personal agency are critical to democracy. All people have procedural and substantive due process rights that allow them to: vote, protest, protect their privacy, defend against government detention and coercion, marry, use contraception, engage in consensual sexual relations, and easily access abortion services.
- We believe people with disabilities, including incarcerated individuals, retain their bodily autonomy and must have access to the full spectrum of care they require, including medical support services, home care services, employment advocacy and accommodation, and the unflinching enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act. We oppose ableism and eugenics.
- We reject and condemn all ideologies that perpetuate discrimination, inequality and hate. We oppose racism, misogyny, ableism, ageism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, antisemitism, Islamophobia, white supremacy, fascism, and other ideologies that undermine social wellbeing, freedom and safety.
- We support transgender, nonbinary, gender-fluid, Two Spirit and other genderqueer people. Gender identity must be respected everywhere, including in prisons and schools. We support suicide prevention programs and legal protections for trans people. We condemn anti-trans oppression and promote Oregon being a refuge for people persecuted by anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
- We believe everyone has the right to live free from the influence of the religious or spiritual beliefs of elected and public officials. People of any or no religion must have full protection under the law, regardless of legal or immigration status. The separation of church and state is absolute.
- We acknowledge that all incarcerated people retain their human dignity and rights and demand that our justice system shift its model toward proven systems that prioritize restorative justice and rehabilitation. We oppose mandatory sentencing, because it neither acknowledges mitigating factors nor rewards positive behavior.
- We believe that people have a right to be on public property without harassment or exception. We oppose the criminalization of houselessness, including so-called “camping bans.” Loitering and vagrancy laws have been used for centuries to deliberately criminalize poverty and funnel people into forced labor.
- We believe in the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Law enforcement professionals should afford due process in all situations and should be held accountable given the violation of these rights. We expect transparency in operation and reporting from criminal justice and carceral agencies.
- We believe in the presumption of innocence, regardless of ability to pay, which requires effective legal representation for those accused of crimes. Public defenders must have manageable caseloads, access to resources, and receive the same pay as prosecutors.
- We believe slavery is reprehensible, including in the carceral system. Prisons and detention centers should never be profit-based or privatized. The practice of using involuntary, unpaid, and sub-minimum wage prison labor upholds white supremacy and must be prohibited. We support reparations for formerly enslaved African people and their descendants.
- We believe that all people have a basic right to the necessities of life including a liveable planet; clean air and water; adequate and safe food, housing, health care, and open spaces; safe environments, bodily autonomy, and rest.
- We affirm that rural and urban communities across Oregon are interdependent on our state’s human and natural resources. Lack of available health care, child care, emergency and mental health services are a persistent struggle for rural areas. These inequities must be recognized and addressed for the benefit of all Oregonians.
- We acknowledge the unique cultural needs of Indigenous children and other identity groups, especially within the foster care system, and believe each child’s connections to their cultural communities and identity should be supported and strengthened.
- We believe the foster care system must prioritize reunification with parents and connection with family and culture, while elevating each child's best interests. This includes proximity to their community and state-supported fulfillment of their educational, emotional, medical, and mental health needs.
- We believe governments must honor tribal sovereignty and jurisdiction as specified in both ratified and agreed-upon treaties. We believe in honoring their relationship to the land, including through collaborative measures to protect and restore native habitats.
- We believe that the prosecution of hate crimes should always acknowledge hate as an aggravating factor and that justice requires restoration that centers the victim while not causing additional harm. We believe hatred is learned and can be unlearned.
Article 7: Infrastructure
Oregon Democrats support maintaining and updating our nation’s infrastructure including: water, wastewater, transportation, energy, and communication systems; public and educational facilities; housing, food supply, health and social support networks; parks and open spaces, environmental monitoring, and the United States Postal Service. We support new infrastructure projects that prepare for a future that includes the realities of climate change, rapid technological change, and increased worldwide interdependency. We support state, national, and international pollution reduction programs aimed at accelerating the transition to clean-energy infrastructure. We believe in using the best peer-reviewed science and technology to develop and maintain essential infrastructure and to prevent and prepare to combat natural, technological, public health, terrorist, or other infrastructure disruptions. We believe that critical elements of infrastructure, particularly relating to water supply, transportation access, the internet, and hazard response must remain in public ownership.
Planks:
- We support the construction of modern, safe, disaster-resilient, and public water and wastewater infrastructure, with particular attention to rural communities and those with aging or outdated infrastructure. These projects must have stable funding to cover continuing costs. We believe the nation’s electrical infrastructure can be both resilient against and designed to not cause wildfires.
- We support expanding safe, accessible, affordable, and low-emission public transit systems. We support fareless public transportation when practical. Because we believe people of all ages, abilities, and socio-economic statuses should be able to safely get where they need to go, we support the comprehensive implementation of safe active transportation routes.
- We support strong energy efficiency and solar access standards in residential, commercial, and industrial construction; we support incentives to reduce energy usage in new and existing structures. We support rapid transition to clean, renewable energy infrastructure, including electric vehicle charging stations. We oppose any expansion of fossil-fuel infrastructure, including pipelines.
- We support access to free, universally available, and secure high-speed broadband internet under public control in all of Oregon’s 36 counties. This acknowledges the modern necessity of access to the internet and allows rural businesses to compete equitably with other parts of the state and nation.
- We support housing infrastructure that provides shelter for everyone. We believe that housing is a human right, and support evidence-based housing policies, such as Housing First, to reduce human suffering, create and maintain personal and family stability, and provide space for additional resources.
- We support caregivers as essential to our nation’s infrastructure and honor their labor as crucial to the resilience and functioning of society. We believe all caregivers should earn a living wage.
- We support the transparent allocation of public funds to pay for public infrastructure development, maintenance, and upgrades. We oppose the privatization of public infrastructure.
- We believe all infrastructure projects must be undertaken with full attention to economic impact, equity, cost-benefit, and environmental impact and justice. We believe in righting historical injustices impacting Black, Indigenous, and other people of color communities, including environmental racism and exposure to carcinogens.
- We believe all infrastructure projects should be sustainable and resilient to natural disasters, equipment failures, hacking, public health crises, non-state interference, and other disruptions. Recovery from such disasters should be supported by federal, state, and local agencies. We believe the government should support community-focused recovery efforts and encourage individual preparedness.
- We support efforts to start and maintain a state-owned public bank designed to support community infrastructure needs, raise revenue without raising taxes for middle and low-income families, and eliminate the use of public dollars to generate profits for Wall Street banks and their wealthy out-of-state stockholders.
- We support residential high density zoning, urban infill, and transit-oriented development. We support urban growth boundaries and oppose unmitigated urban sprawl, which is the result of poor planning and threatens Oregon’s agricultural industries.
- We recognize the importance of reestablishing tree canopy in urban areas and support efforts to bolster urban forestry in communities across Oregon.
- We believe our cities and towns should be designed for all people. Infrastructure shouldn’t be used to deter or hinder marginalized communities or unhoused people.
- We believe society and government must work to end environmental exploitation, including climate change. We must engage in harm reduction that fully compensates for past and continuing damage to their own residents as well as to other communities.
- We oppose tolling on Oregon's roads and highways. Tolling is an inequitable solution that places a burden on working people's daily lives instead of restricting the conduct of the multinational corporations responsible for the bulk of carbon pollution.
Article 8: Protecting Democracy
Oregon Democrats believe that our government derives its authority and power from the people it governs as outlined in the United States Constitution. We hold that all voting-age citizens must have the right and responsibility to vote without encumbrance in local and national elections. We believe that neither socioeconomic status nor demographics should be allowed to limit participation in and influence on the political process. We are committed to open, responsive, transparent and honest government. We believe that corporations are not people and money is not speech; corporations and other non-human legal entities have rights that are defined and must be limited, in law, by the people. We believe the government has a primary responsibility to foster an economy and society that allows all people to thrive. We recognize that sustaining our democracy in the face of foreign and domestic challenges will always require vigilance, common effort, and diligence.
Planks:
- We believe fair access to voting, especially in underserved, marginalized, and rural communities, is essential to democracy. Consequently, we believe incarcerated citizens should retain their right to vote before, during, and after their sentences.
- We support accurate, secure elections, increasing voter participation, and eliminating voter suppression. We support universal vote-by-mail elections and methods of voting that diminish vote splitting and produce results that best reflect the will of the voters.
- We believe money is not speech and support campaign finance reform, including small-donor and public financing, accurate disclosures, and total dollar-raised limits. People, not money, should determine election outcomes.
- We commit to protecting constitutional rights, including the right to assemble peaceably. We recognize the necessity of a free press for the health of democracy. We affirm personal religious freedom coupled with the separation of church and state.
- We believe some services are essential and must be offered, managed, and regulated by the public for the general good.
- We strenuously condemn harassment, threats, and violence against elected and appointed public officials at all levels. We believe intimidation undermines and destabilizes the democratic process. We call for constructive engagement with public officials, most of whom are volunteers who generously donate their time for the betterment of our communities.
- We believe elected officials hold positions integral to a functioning democracy, and it is their duty to execute and honor the trust of their constituents by doing their jobs. We rebuke elected officials who denigrate the public or encourage corruption, voter nullification, suppression, and terroristic threats to our democracy.
- We believe democracy comes with responsibilities and all political parties, including the Democratic Party, must meet the same ethical standards we require of government.
- We condemn behavior by any public official, regardless of party, who uses their office for private gain, who overlooks others’ misconduct, or who uses the power of their position to coerce or intimidate.
- We believe voting requires an informed electorate; therefore, all contested elections, including local races, must require that the county produce a voter's pamphlet and, at minimum, provide it to the public via the county's website.
- We believe in paying state legislators and statewide office holders a salary sufficient to maintain their ability to continue in government service, without economic stress, in order to reduce conflicts of interest and promote a more economically diverse and democratic government.
Oregon Democrats believe evidence-based science should form the basis for many of the decisions the government makes, particularly regarding health and the environment. Basic research in science and technology are cornerstones for the future. We welcome innovation in all scientific arenas; however, the scientific community has the responsibility to protect the public from harm caused by incomplete understanding or misapplication of new technologies. We embrace the new frontiers of discovery and development in science, medicine, information, artificial intelligence, robotics, energy, transportation, space sciences, ocean sciences, and new fields as they emerge. We recognize that our global integration requires attention to the broad societal impacts of these developments.
Planks:
- We believe an open and democratic internet is critical to technological progress. We support net neutrality and strong privacy protections, particularly for medical and financial information, for all data sharing applications. We support robust data encryption protection uninhibited by back doors or key escrow.
- We support medical research for the purpose of eliminating disease, preventing pandemics, aiding recovery, and improving quality of life. Researchers must take care to address racial, gender and cultural bias in research, in order to improve patient outcomes.
- We support state and federal funding of basic and applied research at academic institutions and public-private partnerships, with provisions for transparency, accountability, and equitable protection of public interests. We believe all publicly funded research should be openly shared.
- We believe the United States should actively participate in space exploration. Our space program should cooperate with all humanity, for the betterment of humankind. NASA should be adequately funded for this purpose. We oppose privatization and outsourcing of space exploration. We believe that space belongs to humanity, not corporations.
- We oppose whole human cloning until ethical and legal questions are resolved. We support curing diseases via in vivo genetic editing and the cloning of individual organs.
- We believe in advancing transportation and energy technologies that do not produce greenhouse gasses.
- We support more deployment of advanced sensing technologies to predict weather, earthquakes, and tsunamis, and help protect lives and property from their destructive effects. We support continued improvement in climate modeling.
- We support right-to-repair policies, especially relating to electronics and farming equipment. The lack of these policies disproportionately impacts rural communities, low-income people, and Black, Indigenous, and other people of color.
- We believe Oregon needs to create additional, state-sponsored research facilities outside the university system so that scientists trained in Oregon can work in Oregon and to promote the development of capacity in the Oregon economy.
- We believe that free and open source software (FOSS), as defined by the Open Source Initiative, is critical, cost-effective public infrastructure. We support reliable public and private funding of FOSS to deliver services and create opportunities for individuals and for organizations of all sizes.
- We believe artificial intelligence research and development must be conducted within strict ethical and moral regulations. We believe developers must respect intellectual property rights, enhance, not replace the value of human labor, avoid invasions of privacy, improve the environment by minimizing carbon impact, and prevent racial, gender or cultural bias.
- We resolve to ensure that the exploration of our planet’s oceans have value to society, mankind, and the sustainability of our planet. We believe ocean exploration must not harm wildlife or human life, and the safety of explorers must be of the utmost importance in all stages of exploration.
- We believe society and culture has a vested interest in governments regulating the market of cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), to address environmental impact, societal harm, intellectual property rights, criminal use, and privacy concerns. Regulations, similar to other investment instruments and equities should include algorithm transparency.
- We believe cybersecurity laws should include technical standards to safeguard all reproductive healthcare data, including through end to end encryption in transit and at rest.