No Tax Oregon, the committee sponsoring a veto referendum against an increase to the state’s gas tax, filed nearly 200,000 signatures on Dec. 12 to repeal parts of a transportation funding bill passed during the legislature’s special session in September.
The transportation funding bill, House Bill 3991, passed along party lines in September, carried by the Democratic legislative majority and opposed by Republicans. The veto referendum challenges provisions of the bill that would increase the state's gas tax from $0.40 to $0.46, payroll tax for transportation from 0.1% to 0.2%, and vehicle registration fees. Since signatures were submitted, the targeted provisions of the law, which were set to take effect on Jan. 1, will not take effect until the petition has been validated or, if the referendum qualifies for the ballot and is approved, after the 2026 election.
In Oregon, the number of signatures required for a veto referendum is 78,116, which is equal to 4% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. The referendum was filed on Nov. 10 by State Sen. Bruce Starr (R-12), State Rep. Ed Diehl (R-17), and Jason Williams, director of the Taxpayer Association of Oregon. At the filing of signatures, Williams said, “With nearly 200,000 signatures, this is the voice of no new taxes without a vote of the people. Just let us speak – let us have a say – let us have a vote. That’s all we ask.”
Gov. Tina Kotek (D) signed the bill on Nov. 7. She argued against the referendum, saying, “I would urge Oregonians to think about signing on to a referendum that will take away our basic ability as Oregonians to keep our roads operating.”
In Oregon, a “yes” vote is a vote to uphold the bill, and a “no” vote is a vote to repeal the law. Since 1900, Oregon voters have decided on 67 veto referendums—upholding 27 laws and repealing 42.
Officials have until Jan. 29 to verify the number of valid signatures submitted. For the 2026 ballot, 73 ballot initiatives have been filed in Oregon, with eight cleared for signature gathering. No initiatives have qualified for the ballot in the state yet.
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