On Feb. 1, Oregon’s Initiative Petition 28 (IP28), had roughly 92,000 of the 117,173 required signatures to be put on the November ballot. By the end of February, over 105,000 signatures have been reported. The deadline to meet the required amount is July 2. This means that—barring some extraterrestrial event—the required signatures will be gathered sometime mid-to-late March by the current trajectory.
As mentioned in my Dec. 29 column, titled “Initiative marketing,” we are seeing this play out in real time. The animal rights activist group In Defense of Animals claims, “Since the vast majority of humans can survive and thrive without harming animals, IP28 envisions a society that prioritizes compassion and protects all individuals, regardless of the bodies they were born into. It affirms that human needs can be met while allowing animals to live free from exploitation … The campaign behind Yes On IP28 is not naive. They do not expect the initiative to pass in 2026. The goal is to build the infrastructure necessary to consistently return to the ballot, shift public consciousness, and continue forcing the conversation until it succeeds … This strategy is not new. The women’s suffrage movement repeatedly brought the issue to the ballot in 30 states for over a decade before women finally won the right to vote. In Oregon, women succeeded on their sixth attempt. Those earlier efforts laid the groundwork for lasting change.”
It’s as simple as consistently building and branding an initiative, raising funds, crafting broad language to appeal to the masses and continuing to push until a precedent has been set. After that, the dominoes will fall from state to state.
The site continued to read, “Small welfare gains can play a role, but IP28 is playing the long game, inviting us to think bigger and ask for what we want: liberation from enslavement and legal protection for all animals. This initiative advances activism that tackles injustice at its root and is celebrated each February during Animal Activist Appreciation Month.”
The measure was initially filed under IP13 in 2020 for the 2022 ballot, then failed to collect enough signatures. The measure was filed in 2024 under IP3 and failed again. However, it appears that the signatures will reach the threshold and be on the 2026 ballot. As of this writing, there are only two of the 75 filed petitions that have submitted signatures. The other petition is IP33, which is centered around human rights and has been reported to have spent well over $1,300,000. IP28 has spent far less—estimated around $250,000. IP33 has only 12,194 signatures submitted while IP28 has over 100,000. It is estimated that to gain the required 117,173 valid signatures, there needs to be roughly 140,000 after a vetting process. Even still, the trajectory still holds.
This initiative attacks nearly every aspect of animal-related activities. Hunting, fishing, trapping, farming, ranching and research will now lose their exemptions drafted in current state law if this measure is voted in and passed. Even Tribal rights that have treaty-protected hunting and fishing laws would be in jeopardy. They are literally going after everyone in one swing.
The campaign states, “Animal abuse is legally defined in Oregon as the intentional, knowing, or reckless injury of an animal. Yet slaughter, hunting, fishing, experimentation, forced breeding, and other so-called ‘animal husbandry’ practices all involve intentional injury and remain legal. These exemptions leave most animals legally unprotected and enable cruelty and violence across numerous industries. By eliminating them, IP28 would ensure that animals can no longer be intentionally injured or killed, forcibly impregnated, or denied adequate food, water, and shelter, whether in farms, in labs, at rodeos, exhibitions, in transport, or in the wild.”
When you step back and take a look at what is happening across the broad landscape and look at animal activism measures that have recently surfaced across the country, this all makes a little more sense. On the Yes on IP28 website, they openly claim, “We are excited to see the growing push among the animal rights movement to use the ballot initiative process to move the movement forward. While we are not formally tied to the Pro-Animal Future initiatives to Ban Slaughterhouses and Fur Sales in Denver Colorado, the Measure J Factory Farming Ban in Sonoma County California, or the Retail Pet Sale Ban in Del Mar California, we have been in contact with all three campaigns and maintain a mutually supportive connection.”
There’s teamwork and collaboration happening, and that appears to be the future of animal activism. They aren’t worried about the 330,000 licensed hunters, 500,000 licensed anglers, 37,000 farms and ranches (oregonhunters.org), and nearly every citizen that will undoubtedly be impacted if this measure passes. Available food and fiber, economies, industries and daily life in Oregon will be uprooted. Together, the impacted industries currently represent nearly $7 billion of Oregon’s economy.
Do I sound paranoid? Maybe. But four years ago, none of us said this would make it onto the ballot, but here we are right on the cusp. Will it pass? Undoubtedly no. And the cycle will repeat itself with more experience, funding and support on the next ballot. We’ve entered the new age of fighting for our way of life. — LOGAN IPSEN
