The final ballots in Lincoln County, Ore., have been counted and the majority of voters decided to effectively ban aerial application with a vote of 6,994 to 6,933—just a 61-vote difference. Even with a media campaign against the measure and strong opposition by the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners, ballot measure 21-177 passed with 50.2 percent of the vote.

 

It looks as if those who submitted ballots in drop-boxes outside of Lincoln County voted in a high rate for the measure. This is possibly because they didn’t truly understand what the measure would do as it was titled “Prohibits aerial pesticide spraying and creates rights of local citizens,” on the ballot. While this ballot title was challenged in court, the circuit court judge decided that the title need not be changed.

 

The now-passed measure will ban aerial application in the county, and potentially air-blast sprayers and a few other methods that deposit pesticides into the air. It will also allow citizens to use “direct action” to enforce the measure, which is defined as “any activities or actions carried out to directly enforce the rights and prohibitions contained within this law,” and would make such actions immune to civil and criminal charges.

 

A coalition in Oregon and other stakeholders concerned about the decision, including NAAA, will fund a recount, but that is unlikely to change the result of the vote. The coalition is also looking at potential legal options to challenge the ballot measure, which is more likely to prevent measure 21-177’s implementation. NAAA will keep you updated on this issue.