At a July 30, 2026 Special Meeting, Multnomah County Democrats passed a resolution opposing Initiative Petition 28 (IP-28), a proposed statewide ballot measure that would have banned hunting, fishing, animal breeding, ranching, research, and most forms of rodent control. IP-28 didn’t gather enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot, but its author has said he plans to bring it back, so we’re getting ahead of it now.

The resolution lays out the stakes plainly. More than 1 million Oregonians hunt or fish every year. Statewide, over 22,500 animal farms and ranches (supporting more than 73,000 jobs) would have been forced to shut down. Here in Multnomah County alone, 680 farms and ranches, 97% of them family-owned, work nearly 28,000 acres and generate almost $96 million in agricultural sales. IP-28 also contained no exemption recognizing the treaty-reserved hunting, fishing, and animal stewardship rights of Oregon’s nine federally recognized Tribal Nations, raising serious legal and sovereignty concerns.

Rural and frontier county Democratic parties led the opposition to IP-28 and asked urban counties like ours for support. With this resolution Multnomah County Democrats stand with them to affirm that protecting animals and supporting the rural communities, food systems, and Tribal rights that hunting, fishing, and agriculture sustain aren’t in conflict. More than half of Oregon’s county Democratic parties, along with several state caucuses, have passed similar resolutions.

• Read Resolution 2026-13 opposing Initiative Petition 28, which would have banned hunting, fishing, and Animal Agriculture 

Next Steps

This resolution directs Multnomah County Democrats officers to:

• Publicly oppose any future version of IP-28 that would ban hunting, ban fishing, ban pest control, damage Oregon’s farmers and ranchers, or undermine the stewardship rights and sovereignty of Oregon’s nine federally recognized Tribal Nations
• Send a copy of this resolution to rural Democratic Party leaders who spearheaded opposition to IP-28

Want to be part of this work going forward? The Multnomah Democrats use resolutions like this one as the foundation for our advocacy. Join our Platform, Legislation, and Advocacy Committee by filling out a volunteer form, and we’ll connect you with the issue area that matters most to you.