Oregon Initiative Petition 28 Fails to Qualify for 2026 Ballot
Oregon’s Initiative Petition 28, known as the PEACE Act, did not gather enough valid signatures to appear on the November 2026 ballot. State officials required 117,173 valid signatures; supporters submitted roughly 142,000 signatures, but only 104,262 were validated, leaving the measure about 13,000 short.
The proposal would have removed existing exemptions for lawful hunting, fishing, trapping, wildlife management, livestock slaughter and related agricultural practices from Oregon’s animal‑cruelty statutes, and it included a transition fund to aid affected workers and industries. The initiative faced opposition from hunting, fishing and ranching groups, as well as from Democratic Governor Tina Kotek and Republican gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan. Chief petitioner David Michelson announced plans to continue advocacy for the measure.
Entities: David Michelson · Governor Tina Kotek · Initiative Petition 28 (PEACE Act) · Oregon · Oregon Secretary of State Elections Division
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 2 SOURCES] David Michelson is the chief petitioner of Initiative Petition 28. (initiative organizers)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The PEACE Act would have removed exemptions for lawful hunting and fishing from Oregon's animal‑cruelty statutes. (initiative text)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Initiative Petition 28 failed to qualify for the November 2026 ballot due to insufficient valid signatures. (Oregon Elections Division)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The proposal included a Humane Transition Fund to assist workers and industries affected by the changes. (initiative text)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Democratic Governor Tina Kotek opposed the PEACE Act. (public statements)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The threshold for valid signatures was 117,173. (Oregon Elections Division)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Supporters submitted roughly 142,000 signatures. (initiative organizers)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] State officials determined that 104,262 of the submitted signatures were valid. (Oregon Elections Division)