Nastacia Voisin |
Measure 88 – one of the most contentious initiatives of the Nov. 4 ballot – will ask Oregon voters to decide who has the right to drive. If passed, the “Oregon Alternative Driver Licenses Referendum” would grant driving privileges to Oregonians without requiring proof of their legal presence in the United States.
Proponents of the measure say it would encourage undocumented drivers to pass the driver’s test and obtain insurance, leading to safer roads. Detractors argue a yes-vote would damage Oregon’s economic health by inciting a spike in illegal immigration.
Because undocumented UP students will feel the impact of how the vote swings, some students and professors have taken to advocating for the measure.
With immigration reform stalled at the federal level, Measure 88 is a way for Oregonians to decide how to handle the issue as a state.
Measure 88 Back-story
In 2005, the federal Real ID Act mandated that states have proof of legal presence before issuing driver’s licenses. States can issue other forms of driver identification if they want, but they must look different from regular licenses. Several states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, Utah, Vermont and Washington, D.C., have passed initiatives similar to Oregon’s Measure 88.
Last year, Governor John Kitzhaber signed a state law granting four-year licenses to Oregonians who couldn’t prove legal status in the United States. Shortly after, the interest group Oregonians for Immigration Reform (OFER), gathered enough signatures to put the law on hold and pushed the measure onto Nov. 4 ballot.
This gives the vote to Oregon residents, asking them to accept or reject the law. If passed, the initiative would kick in January 2015.
To qualify for the driver's card, a person would have to present valid ID and proof of state residency. This card is intended to give driving privileges only – not to be used for air travel identification, to register to vote, buy a gun or obtain government benefits that require proof of citizenship.
Oregon’s Latino population, which is the 19th largest in the nation, is the community with the greatest stake in this vote. According to the Pew Research Center, an estimated one-third (about 160,000) of that population are undocumented immigrants.
Other people who could benefit from drivers cards are U.S.-born residents without birth records and veterans missing citizenship documents.
According to social work professor Alice Gates, Measure 88 is about transportation rights but also serves as a political lightning rod for other issues. Immigration policy is a key aspect, but economic, national security, racial and human rights arguments also have a place at the table, she said.
Arguments For
Proponents of the measure, led primarily by YES on Oregon Safe Roads, say it’s a common-sense initiative that will make Oregon roads safer for everyone. They argue that necessity forces undocumented individuals to drive unlicensed and uninsured regardless of the law. If Measure 88 passes, these people could safely and legally earn a license.
They also point out that the state's economy relies on thousands of immigrant workers who need licenses to continue driving to work. And as large swaths of rural Oregon still don’t have effective public transportation networks, a no-vote would force undocumented people to choose between risking driving to work unlicensed or not holding a job.
Proponents also argue that transportation is a basic human right, as all people need to get to places such as grocery stores, hospitals and places of worship in order to live a quality life.
Arguments Against
Opponents of Measure 88 say a driver’s card won’t necessarily guarantee safer roads, as there are loopholes in the vehicle licensing process, and people without legal presence won’t feel compelled to follow state laws.
According to OFER, the major opponent of the measure, a yes-vote will inflate the immigrant population in Oregon, burdening entitlement programs and adversely affecting the labor market. Allowing undocumented residents to drive legally may force citizens to compete unfairly for jobs, causing wage depression and unemployment.
Opponents are also concerned about security issues. While driver’s cards aren’t supposed to pass as a form of ID, some fear it would encourage criminal activity and might help terrorists trying to infiltrate the U.S. And while a no-vote will make day-to-day life harder for the undocumented community, opponents argue that driving privileges are a citizen’s right, and shouldn’t be given to those living unlawfully in U.S.
Community members get involved
Driving privileges and immigration issues may seem disconnected with the lives of most UP students, but for some it’s a resonant topic.
Yuri Hernandez, a social work major who is interning for CAUSA, an immigrant rights organization endorsing Measure 88, said she’s heard countless stories while canvassing of how driver’s cards would change peoples’ lives.
“We’re all humans,” she said. “We need to go to the grocery store, to work or to church. We need to drive children school or go to the hospital. And until we address immigration on a federal level, until that happens, we have to take care of the people here.”
Hernandez said part of her investment in the issue is that she knows how the vote swings will have a big impact on her hometown of Coos Bay, which is heavily dependent on immigrant workers, many of whom are undocumented.
But closer to home is the impact the vote will have on undocumented students here on The Bluff.
According to Gates, while UP is not the place to start immigration reform, Measure 88 concerns UP in part because it would affect these students. Undocumented UP students might be restricted from participating in certain activities or excluded from events that require transportation, she said.
“It’s a small population on our campus,” Gates said, “but our values as an institution suggest that we are interested in vulnerable populations. For me, that’s the social justice part of the issue – it’s about excluding and marginalizing a population.
“We don’t want to create an underclass of students because of their legal status.”
Nastacia Voisin is a reporter and copy editor for The Beacon. She can be reached at voisin15@up.edu.
