Proposed ban on slaughter, experimentation, and hunting in Oregon collects 40,000 signatures during first six months of petitioning
Contact: Sam Schillinger
Campaign Organizer
PORTLAND, OR, 9 January, 2025 - Since beginning official signature collection in early July 2024, the Yes On IP28 campaign has collected 40,000 signatures to get Initiative Petition 28 on the 2026 general election ballot in Oregon. If approved by the public, IP28 would prohibit any activity—other than self-defense and veterinary practices—that intentionally injures, kills, or sexually violates a non-human animal, many of which are currently legal because they are exempt from Oregon’s animal cruelty laws. A number of states contain exemptions in their respective animal cruelty legislation, but Oregon would be the first to vote on a measure that would remove these exemptions if IP28 qualifies for the 2026 ballot.
Many petitioners on this campaign have shared that what motivates them to contribute is knowing that they are asking for exactly the world they want to see, and nothing less. Oregon is one of 24 states that allow for citizens to propose legislation or amendments to the state constitution. To qualify for the 2026 ballot in Oregon, Yes On IP28 must collect the 117,173 required signatures by the July 2, 2026 deadline, giving the campaign 18 more months for petitioning.
Campaign founder and chief petitioner, David Michelson, shared his inspiration and confidence in using the ballot initiative as a vehicle to advance animal rights: “Between 1867 and 1919, public discussion was indelibly shaped by the 54 state-level ballot initiatives to grant women the right to vote. We believe that our 2026 initiative to extend to animals the right not to be slaughtered, hunted, experimented on, or forcibly bred will make animal rights a prominent theme of public discussion.”
Yes On IP28 is a grassroots organization composed of over 80 individuals, both within and outside of Oregon. The campaign is sustained in large part by the efforts of volunteers, with a majority of funding going toward paid petitioner wages. IP28 is a revised iteration of an earlier initiative, known as IP3, which had been proposed for the 2024 election cycle, but did not garner enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. The 2024 and 2026 campaigns have received generous support from animal-rights groups such as Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the Craigslist Charitable Fund, the Karuna Foundation, as well as monthly and one-time individual donors, totaling over $155,000.
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You can download a copy of the full press release below.