Commentary

Statement by the Organic Consumers Association on Lawsuit Files by Campaign to Pass Oregon’s Measure 92 to Label GMOs


 Vote Ballot Box Label GMO

FINLAND, Minn. –-(ENEWSPF)–December 8, 2014.  Today eight voters and the Yes on Measure 92 campaign to pass a mandatory GMO (genetically modified organism) labeling law, sued to require to the state to count about 4600 votes that the campaign alleges were illegally tossed out.

The suit, filed in the Circuit Court for the State of Oregon for the County of Multnomah, alleges that local election boards illegally threw out the votes because the signatures on the ballot envelopes did not match sthe signature on the voters’ registration cards.

The Yes on Measure 92 campaign came within 812 votes of winning, triggering an automatic recount which is still under way. 

“Oregon voters deserve to have their votes counted, fairly and accurately,” said Ronnie Cummins, international director of the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) and its Mexico affiliate, Via Organic. “Up against corporate giants willing to spend more than $20.7 million to keep consumers in the dark—and that’s just in Oregon—the YES on 92 campaign fought an exhausting, but fair and honest fight to win this key GMO labeling battle.

“We urge consumers across the country to voice their support for this important lawsuit. It is one thing to lose a campaign like this because Monsanto and Big Food spend millions on dishonest propaganda campaigns. But it is beyond unconscionable that consumers could lose this initiative because the state, without legal grounds, simply throws out their votes.”

Cummins served on the steering committee of the YES on 92 Campaign. The OCA contributed about $800,000 to the campaign, most of it raised from individual donations averaging $45.

The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is an online and grassroots non-profit 501(c)3 public interest organization campaigning for health, justice, and sustainability. The Organic Consumers Fund is a 501(c)4 allied organization of the Organic Consumers Association, focused on grassroots lobbying and legislative action.

Source: www.organicconsumers.org


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