Douglas County Voters Overwhelmingly Reject Measure 120 Gas Tax And Fee Increase

ROSEBURG, Ore. — Douglas County voters strongly rejected Measure 120 in Tuesday’s primary election, joining voters across Oregon in saying no to a transportation funding package that would have increased the state gas tax, vehicle registration fees, title fees and a payroll tax used for public transportation services.

According to unofficial Douglas County results, the measure was failing locally with 22,629 no votes, or 93.46%, compared with 1,584 yes votes, or 6.54%. A total of 24,213 votes were counted in Douglas County for the measure.

Statewide, Measure 120 was also being rejected by a wide margin. Unofficial results from the Oregon Secretary of State showed 611,082 no votes and 124,248 yes votes, with 735,330 total votes counted in the contest.

Measure 120 asked voters whether to approve tax and fee increases that had been passed by the Oregon Legislature as part of a transportation funding package. According to the official explanatory statement, the measure would have raised the state fuel tax to 46 cents per gallon, increased vehicle registration fees by $42 for several types of vehicles, and raised title fees for passenger vehicles by $139. It also would have temporarily increased the payroll tax used for public transportation.

The explanatory statement said the new money from fuel tax, registration fee and title fee increases would have been shared among the Oregon Department of Transportation, counties and cities. Smaller cities and counties would have received additional funding compared with the current distribution formula, and some money would have gone toward maintaining roadside rest areas.

Because voters rejected the measure, the official explanatory statement said fuel taxes, registration fees and title fees will remain at their current levels. The payroll tax for public transportation services will also remain unchanged.

The vote was the result of Oregon’s referendum process, which allows voters to approve or reject certain laws passed by the Legislature. In this case, opponents of the tax and fee increases gathered enough signatures to refer the issue to voters.

For Douglas County, the result was especially one-sided. More than nine out of every ten local voters who weighed in on the measure voted no, showing strong opposition in the county to raising transportation-related taxes and fees.

The results remain unofficial until the election is certified.