Referral from the Dunes City Council
Financial impact: There is the possibility of minor revenue gain for the City.
“Yes” vote: will add an alternative method for candidates to be placed on the ballot using the current method of providing a petition with at least 20 signatures or paying a $20 fee.
“No” vote: will allow the current require for placement on the ballot of a petition with 20 signatures to remain.
Background: The previous process required a petition of 20 or more signatures of residents in Dune City to place a candidate for elected office on the ballot. In the past, the process of requiring and validating 20 signatures has been cumbersome, requiring the city to verify addresses and then the petition must be taken to the Lane County elections office for signature verification. In many cases the signatures are not accepted, because the signer has not updated their address after moving, they may not have voted in a decade and are considered inactive or the signature is illegible. In these cases, new signatures need to be collected. This is expensive and time consuming for staff. It has also resulted in low candidate participation.
The law allows a filing fee to substitute for the petition. The City Council of Dunes City determined that a fee of $20 would cover the cost of staff time and would encourage greater participation by simplifying the process for those wishing to run for office.
Proposal The Dunes City Charter is the governing document for the City of Dunes City. This measure would revise Chapter VI, Section 30 of the current Amended City Charter, adopted November 4, 1980. The City Council approved the revised provision following a public meeting on August 6, 2025 and directed that it be submitted to the City voters for consideration at the November 4, 2025 election. The proposed revision would amend the current language of Chapter VI, Section 30 to include the following sentence, “Such petition shall be signed by not fewer than 20 electors or be accompanied by a fee of $20.” This change would allow candidates to either submit signatures or pay a fee to run for City Council positions.
Supporters say: This is a very sensible way to increase participation in city elections and to reduce the burden on city staff.
Opponents say: The current requirement of 20 signatures in order to run for City Council is an appropriate process to indicate support for placing a candidate on the ballot for City Council.