The court has said it disfavors judicial action that comes too close to an election, and defers to local control. The state’s Republican secretary of state, Beverly A. Clarno, appeared ready to accept the decision, but the state’s Democratic leaders stepped in to object. “Despite the changes to our daily lives related to the pandemic, the signature and deadline requirements have not changed,” Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum wrote in a brief to the Supreme Court. The Oregon group was modeling its effort on a successful referendum in Michigan, just one of the states to take power away from legislators. “Because the secretary does not want to proceed, the attorney general pursues this appeal for her own interests,” the group told the court.

Source: Washington Post August 11, 2020 18:56 UTC