Officials in several states took precautions Saturday to remove legislators’ personal information from online directories.

Lawmakers in some states are moving to delete their home addresses from online directories and Wisconsin legislators are seeking added security for a session this week after one Minnesota legislator was killed and another wounded in their suburban Minneapolis homes last weekend in what Gov. Tim Walz described as a targeted political attack.

Vance Boelter is in federal custody facing murder and stalking charges in the shooting death of former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Authorities say he also shot and wounded Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Boelter, 57, also faces state murder charges.

Authorities said Boelter had a list of dozens of state and federal elected officials in Minnesota and meticulous notes on the homes and people he targeted early Saturday. He also stopped by the homes of two other legislators that night, according to police. Authorities say he found their addresses in a variety of internet searches. The Minnesota Legislature’s website lists the addresses of members’ offices in the state capital of St. Paul, not their home addresses.

On Saturday, the North Dakota Legislature’s staff agency removed lawmakers’ addresses from their biographical webpages as a result of the targeted attacks in Minnesota, Legislative Council Director John Bjornson said.

Most North Dakota lawmakers opt to give a home, business or postal box address on their webpage, where the public also can find their email addresses and phone numbers.

Removing addresses of elected officials is a difficult decision because they have to be approachable, open and transparent, said Burleigh County Sheriff Kelly Leben, whose county is home to North Dakota’s capital city.

“I think it’s a balancing act between being a public official and the safety of myself and my family,” the elected county sheriff said.

All home addresses for New Mexico legislators were also removed from the Statehouse website as an immediate precaution, said Shawna Casebier, director of the Legislature’s legal office.

Personal information on the website already had been limited at the discretion of individual lawmakers in the aftermath of drive-by shootings at the homes of four Democratic state and local lawmakers in Albuquerque in 2022 and 2023.

In Colorado, at least 31 elected officials have filed requests to remove their personal contact information from a public-facing state campaign finance database called TRACER, which was briefly taken down Saturday so those requests could be fulfilled.

“We did so out of an abundance of caution for the safety of elected officials in an unprecedented political climate,” Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a statement. The Colorado development was first reported by Axios.

Lawmakers in Wisconsin requested additional security for when the state Assembly meets on Wednesday, said Luke Wolff, spokesperson for Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. Wolff did not detail what was requested or what changes may be made.

The Wisconsin Capitol is one of the most open in the country, with public access seven days a week, no metal detectors, screening checkpoints or security badges required to gain entry. There are galleries in both the Senate and Assembly where the public can view legislative debate.

Even before the Minnesota shooting, states in recent years have stepped up efforts to shield the personal information of officials in response to high-profile attacks.

Oregon

One day before the Minnesota killings, Oregon lawmakers passed a bill that would prohibit the Oregon Secretary of State from making the residential addresses of those associated with a candidates’ campaign committee viewable by the public on its electronic filing system. The campaign filings would still be viewable online, but home addresses would be redacted, unless the person asks the Secretary of State’s office to publish it. A public records request would need to be filed to obtain such addresses.

Louisiana

Louisiana lawmakers passed a bill last week that adds statewide elected officials and legislators to the list of people who can ask that their personal information be removed from public records and the internet. Certain judges were already on the list.

Officials can seek to have home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, date of birth, marital status, school or daycare of their child, their place of worship or employment location of their spouse removed.

Under current law, if person does not comply with the removal request, they can be sued and face up to 90 days in prison or $1,000 fine for the misdemeanor.

The measure still needs final approval from Gov. Jeff Landry, one of the Louisiana officials whose private information would be protected.

Georgia

Georgia legislators passed a law earlier this year to require that home addresses of candidates who file campaign finance reports, including themselves, be redacted from by the state Ethics Commission from public view. The action came after a number of Georgia officials were targeted by swatting incidents in December 2023.

Lawmakers also passed a second law which removes the personal phone number, home address, and property or tax records of a judge or their spouse from public view. Records covered include voter registration and corporation records.

Illinois

The Illinois State Board of Elections stopped publishing the street addresses of candidates for political office on its website last year, spokesperson Matt Dietrich said. Lawmakers had raised concerns after protestors picketed the home of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, the state librarian, over legislation he pushed through the General Assembly that would cut state funding to libraries that ban books.

Candidates’ addresses remain on elections board documents that are no longer published on the web but accessible via public records request.

New Jersey

In 2020, a gunman posing as a delivery driver shot and killed the 20-year-old son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in New Jersey and injured her husband at their family home. The state legislature passed a law later that year by that exempted the home addresses of current or retired judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officers from disclosure under public records laws. The measure, called Daniel’s Law in honor of the judge’s son, also allowed officials to ask websites to remove their home addresses.

Maryland

Maryland enacted a law in 2024 preventing individuals from publishing judges’ personal information online after a circuit court judge was shot by a man hours after the judge ruled against him in a divorce case. Judges can submit requests to government entities and private websites to remove information like phone numbers, social security numbers, and personal emails.

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Associated Press reporters Claire Rush in Portland, Ore., Jack Dura in Bismarck, N.D., John O’Connor in Springfield, Ill., Jeff Amy in Atlanta, Scott McFetridge in Des Moines, Iowa, Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, La., Scott Bauer in Madison, Wis., Brian Witte in Annapolis, Md. and Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, N.M. contributed to this report.

Oregon lawmakers are considering changes to the state’s “kicker” law, which refunds excess tax revenues.

One proposal would redirect corporate kicker funds to school infrastructure projects.

(This story has been updated with new information.)

Oregon lawmakers are revisiting proposals that could eliminate or alter the state’s unique surplus refund, better known as the “kicker.”

Passed by lawmakers in 1979 and approved by voters in 1980, the kicker returns money to Oregonians when the state’s revenue is at least 2% higher than forecasted.

Oregonians passed Measure 85 in 2012, diverting the corporate kicker revenue back into the general fund for public education. Since then, more than $3.5 billion has gone to K-12 schools, according to a Department of Revenue report. The corporate kicker for the 2021-23 biennium totaled $1.8 billion, the largest in state history and more than twice the previous record.

There’s been a similar historic increase in personal kicker refunds since 2011. Oregonians received part of a record-breaking $5.6 billion kicker when they filed their 2023 tax return. State economists estimate taxpayers will see a $1.73 billion kicker in 2026, according to the latest revenue forecast.

Supporters of reforming the law argue that the excess tax revenue could be used to fund essential services, especially as lawmakers aim to address an ongoing housing and homelessness crisis and poor student outcomes. Opponents, however, are fiercely protective of the credit and have made clear they would challenge any changes to the personal kicker.

Here’s where kicker reform stands at this point in the session:

Oregon Senate Bill 399 proposes returning to checks instead of credit

Sen. Fred Girod, R-Stayton, is the chief sponsor of Senate Bill 399. The bill would require Oregon’s Department of Revenue to issue kicker refunds in the form of a check instead of a tax credit. Checks were the refund mechanism from the mid-1990s until 2011, according to the Department of Revenue.

The bill currently sits in the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue. It has not been scheduled for a public hearing or work session.

Girod sponsored an identical proposal in 2023, but it stalled in the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue. Senate Republicans attempted to pull it out of committee and onto the floor in 2023 with a procedural motion to withdraw the bill from committee, but the motion failed 12-16.

Oregon Senate Bill 573 would eliminate personal kicker

Sen. Lew Frederick, D-Portland, is also bringing back a proposal he introduced in the 2023 legislative session: ending the kicker altogether.

Senate Bill 573 would discontinue returning excess revenue to taxpayers beginning at the start of the 2027 two-year budget. The bill would not take effect unless Senate Joint Resolution 15 also passes and is approved by voters during the November 2026.

“The kicker is a uniquely Oregon creature and it is a unique burden on our state and the people of our state,” Frederick said in 2023. Improved revenue forecasts do not mean more revenue to use in programs but instead go “right back out the door,” he said at the time. The bill drew hundreds of pieces of written testimony, largely in opposition, in 2023. After a public hearing, the bill died in committee.

Frederick was not immediately available to discuss his 2025 proposal.

The bill is currently in the Senate Committee on Rules and has not been scheduled for a hearing.

Oregon House Bill 3360 would redirect corporate kicker to school infrastructure

A proposal with more bipartisan support is centered around the corporate kicker rather than the personal refund. House Bill 3360 had a public hearing Monday afternoon.

Rep. Courtney Neron, D-Wilsonville, and Rep. Zach Hudson, D-Troutdale, are the chief sponsors. Rep. Emily McIntire, R-Eagle Point, and Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane, have signed on as regular sponsors.

The bill would redirect the corporate kicker to the School Facility Improvement Fund instead of the State School Fund, meaning the excess revenue would go solely into funding grants for school construction and maintenance projects and for infrastructure improvements.

“School infrastructure is a big problem for many of our districts,” Hudson said in an interview with the Statesman Journal.

A similar proposal died in committee in 2023, though it generated testimony from school officials who shared stories of aging facilities and no funding to maintain them.

The way Oregon’s school funding model works, money each biennium covers day-to-day costs and staff but cannot cover significant projects like HVAC system replacements or a new roof, Hudson explained. Districts turn instead to passing general obligation bonds, an expensive option that can often be struck down by voters.

Representatives of the Oregon School Boards Association, Coalition of Oregon School Administrators and Oregon Education Association spoke in support of the bill Monday, saying districts across Oregon have struggled to get backing for bond measures.

According to bond and local option election data tracked by the Oregon School Boards Association, 54 of 100 school district, education service district and community college bonds were approved in the last four years. Louis De Sitter, with the Oregon Education Association, shared more specifics. In the last four years, only 76 of Oregon’s school districts have tried to pass a bond and more than a third have failed, De Sitter said.

In the Silverton School District, a bond to replace Silverton Middle School and cover other major repairs failed in 2023. The last bond the district passed was in 2006.

In the Gervais School District, voters approved a $28 million bond last year to replace heating and cooling, improve accessibility, replace the high school roof, and make other improvements. It was the ninth attempt at passing a school district bond and the school board warned that it would vote to close the district had the bond failed.

Corbett School District Superintendent Derek Fialkiewicz told lawmakers the Corbett School District has passed one bond in the past 30 years. He shared a list of necessary infrastructure projects that are estimated to cost the district hundreds of thousands of dollars. Repairing high school restrooms is estimated at $300,000, he said. Replacing roofs: $500,000. Repairing air conditioning: $400,000. Repairing locker rooms: $250,000. And lighting throughout the district: $100,000.

“If we can help districts out with these infrastructure asks, we really should,” Hudson said.

Hudson noted that under the current corporate kicker system, the excess revenue goes first into the general fund before lawmakers allocate the rest of the state school fund, meaning it does not necessarily provide additional funding for education.

“I think that most voters, in wanting their money to go to education, would see school infrastructure as definitely within the intent behind that bill, but it just doesn’t end up working out that way,” Hudson said.

Because the kicker is unpredictable, it makes sense to use the corporate kicker as a pool of one-time funding set aside for infrastructure, Hudson added.

To be eligible for a grant, a school district must have submitted general obligation bonds during the last three years, failed to receive voter approval for general obligation bonds in the last 10 years and have reserves of less than 8% of its adopted budget.

Hudson also said that the bill presents another opportunity to move the needle in helping student achievement in Oregon get back on track.

“There’s a lot of good evidence that school physical environment affects learning,” Hudson said. “Students don’t learn as well when they’re too hot. Students don’t learn as well when they don’t have good quality air, and students don’t learn well when the ceiling is moldy.”

The window to submit written testimony for HB 3360 closes at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her atdlugo@statesmanjournal.com or on X @DianneLugo.

Presidential election

Reliably Democratic in the past several presidential elections, Oregon was not one of the swing states under the electoral magnifying glass this year. Still, many Oregonians were eager to vote – though not as many as in past years.

Oregon elections would need to have received a massive influx of 700,000 or more ballots Tuesday and afterward to reach the turnout levels seen in the past two presidential elections.

In 2020, state voter turnout reached 73% by the day before the November 2020 election, ultimately hitting 82%. That year, then-former Vice President Joe Biden carried Oregon 56.64% Biden to then-President Donald Trump’s 40.25%.

MORE: Live Oregon election results

MORE: Live updates from national, statewide, local races

MORE: Oregon’s general election preview

U.S. House of Representatives

Portland-area voters cast ballots in two of the most competitive races for Congress this fall.

Lori Chavez-DeRemer, left, is fighting to hold onto one of the most closely contested seats in the U.S. House of Representatives this fall. Her challenger is Democrat Janelle Bynum, a business owner and state lawmaker.courtesy of campaigns

Oregon Congressional District 5

Democrat Janelle Bynum, a four-term member of the state House, beat first-term Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer in a hard-fought battle that the Cook Political Report had rated as a toss-up.

The winner of the close race wasn’t clear until the Thursday evening after the election showed no viable path for the incumbent to overcome Bynum’s lead for 48% to 45%.

District 5 stretches from Southeast Portland to Bend. As of August, Democrats made up about 31% of the district’s 530,000 registered voters and Republicans made up about 27%.

Washington Congressional District 3

Joe Kent, left, and U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez are preparing for a rematch in November that experts anticipate could be one of the closest races in the country.Mark Graves/The Oregonian/OregonLive. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez campaign.

In Washington, first-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez defeated Republican Joe Kent in the race to represent southwest Washington in Congress.

As of Thursday, Nov. 7, Washington election officials reported that Gluesenkamp Perez led by 51.3% to 48.3%, a difference of 11,000 votes.

Gluesenkamp Perez defended her seat against Trump-endorsed Republican Joe Kent in a rematch of the 2022 race for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, which spans the southwestern part of the state.

Other Oregon congressional races

In the 6th Congressional District, Democratic U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas defeated businessman Mike Erickson in a rematch of their 2022 race.

Democratic U.S. Rep Val Hoyle won re-election, successfully defending her 4th District seat against Air Force veteran Monique DeSpain.

Democratic state Rep. Maxine Dexter won the seat held by retiring U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer in the 3rd District.

Other statewide races

Oregon chose a new secretary of state, attorney general and treasurer in Tuesday’s election.

Democrats have controlled those statewide offices for years. Since 1985, voters have only elected a Republican to serve as secretary of state once. Republicans haven’t been elected as state treasurer or attorney general since 1993.

Attorney General

Former Democratic Oregon House Speaker Dan Rayfield defeated Will Lathrop, a former deputy district attorney in Marion and Yamhill counties, in the race to replace Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum in one of this year’s most competitive statewide races.

Both candidates raised around $1 million for their campaigns, with Rayfield slightly ahead in fundraising as of mid-August.

Democratic candidate Dan Rayfield, left, and Republican candidate Will Lathrop competed to be Oregon’s next attorney general.File photos

Oregon Secretary of State

Democratic state Treasurer Tobias Read beat state Sen. Dennis Linthicum of Beatty, who was barred from seeking reelection to the Senate after participating in a 2023 walkout.

The two candidates said they would take vastly different approaches in the office that has seen high turnover and increased public scrutiny in recent years.

Tobias Read, left, and Dennis Linthicum squared off to become Oregon’s next secretary of state.Courtesy of campaigns

Oregon Treasurer

Democratic state Sen. Elizabeth Steiner defeated Republican Sen. Brian Boquist, who also was barred from seeking reelection in the Senate after participating in the 2023 walkout.

Democrat Elizabeth Steiner and Republican Brian Boquist have served together in the Oregon Senate for 13 years. They’re running against one another to be state treasurer.Steiner campaign, Oregonian file photo

State measures

Oregon voters decided on five statewide measures on their ballot this November.

Measure 115 would amend the state Constitution to allow the Oregon Legislature with a two-thirds vote in each chamber to impeach statewide elected officials, including the governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer and labor commissioner. The measure passed.

MORE: Oregon is the only state where lawmakers can’t impeach statewide office holders. Will voters change that with Measure 115?

Measure 116, which was defeated, would have established an independent compensation commission to determine the salaries of certain elected officials, including the governor, statewide elected officials, state lawmakers, judges and district attorneys.

MORE: Oregon voters to decide whether independent commission should set salaries for state elected officials

Measure 117, which was defeated, would have instituted single-winner ranked-choice voting for future federal and statewide races. Alaska and Maine are currently the only two states that have fully implemented that system. 16 Oregon county clerks have raised concerns about the cost of the ranked-choice voting measure.

Of all the statewide measures, Measure 118 is the most contentious. The measure would raise corporate taxes to give every Oregonian an estimated $1,600 per year.

Proponents said it would relieve some of the financial burden on low-income Oregonians and require large corporations to pay their fair share in taxes. But the measure has faced strong opposition from both Democrats and Republicans. Voters rejected the measure.

Measure 119, which passed, will require owners of cannabis businesses to allow workers to unionize without interference.

MORE: Oregon voters will decide whether to ease way for cannabis workers to unionize

LC- Yuxing Zheng/The Oregonian

City of Hillsboro

Hillsboro voters rejected adding fluoride to the public water supply, weighing in on a mineral that’s widely used to strengthen tooth enamel but that opponents say can hurt children’s neurological development.

MORE: Hillsboro voters will advise city whether to add fluoride to water supply

Portland City Council and Mayor

Portland voters selected a new mayor and a dozen City Council members in an historic election that will radically transform government and political power structures in Oregon’s most populous city.

The 2024 election comes two years after voters approved the revamp in 2022.

Instead of electing five City Council members, voters will instead elect a 12-person City Council whose members will come from four large geographic districts.Michelle Brence/Staff (file)

MORE: How Portland elects its mayor is about to drastically change. Here are the promises — and pitfalls

Portland voters elected Keith Wilson as mayor, using a common form of single-winner ranked-choice voting that has been adopted in more than 40 U.S. cities.

But Multnomah County election officials estimate as many as 53% of ballots across the county may be left to be tallied. So the race’s final outcome is far from certain and top rival Carmen Rubio, an incumbent Portland city commissioner, can’t be counted out.

MORE: Portland enters ‘uncharted territory’ with first-in-nation City Council election system

Instead of electing five members to the City Council, Portland voters will instead elect 12 members who will come from four large geographic districts. Here are the winners:

District 1

Candace Avalos

Jamie Dunphy

Loretta Smith

District 2

Sameer Kanal

Elana Pirtle-Guiney

Dan Ryan

District 3

Tiffany Koyama Lane

Angelita Morillo

Steve Novick

District 4

Oliva Clark

Mitch Green

Eric Zimmerman

MORE: See the new City Council district boundaries

Multnomah County Board of Commissioners

Nonprofit policy director Meghan Moyer won the District 1 seat on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners to represent Portland’s westside, defeating administrative law judge Vadim Mozyrsky.

Partial results tallied as of 8 p.m. showed Moyer with 57% of the vote to Mozyrsky’s 42%. But county officials estimate as many as 46% of countywide ballots may be left to be tallied.

In District 2, Shannon Singleton, a trained social worker and former head of the Portland-Multnomah County Joint Office of Homeless Services, defeated former Portland Mayor Sam Adams. The county district spans North and Northeast Portland.

Singleton had captured 53% of the vote to Adams’ 46%, preliminary results tallied at 8 p.m. Tuesday showed.

Longtime social worker and housing advocate Shannon Singleton and former Portland Mayor Sam Adams are vying for a seat on the Multnomah County Commission.Courtesy of Campaigns

Clackamas County Board of Commissioners

Incumbent Clackamas County Chair Tootie Smith lost her bid to keep her seat in a runoff against former Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts.

In the May primary, Roberts received more votes than Smith but failed to reach more than 50% to win the chair seat outright. The race ended up looking different with a much higher turnout expected in the 2024 general election than in the primary.

Small business owner Melissa Fireside beat the embattled incumbent Clackamas County Commissioner Mark Shull.