Oregon — The No Tax Oregon referendum effort has reached a dramatic new milestone, with organizers announcing Tuesday that 175,000 signatures have now been collected to overturn Oregon’s $4.3 billion transportation tax package. The surge marks one of the fastest-growing citizen referendum drives in recent state history, far exceeding the roughly 75,000 valid signatures required to qualify for the ballot.
Rep. Ed Diehl, one of the referendum’s chief petitioners, delivered the update in an energized statement to supporters:
“Our signature count has just hit 175,000 and it’s still climbing! We. Are. Not. Stopping. The people have spoken loud, clear, and in record numbers. Oregon is fired up, united, and pushing harder than ever.”
Diehl urged Oregonians to “keep the momentum roaring,” emphasizing that the campaign’s rapid growth reflects widespread frustration with the tax package signed by Gov. Tina Kotek earlier this month. Kotek approved the bill on a Friday but did not publicly announce it until the following Monday, a move that opponents argue shortened an already tight 90-day referendum window. After reaching the 150,000 mark, well past the 78,000 required, Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr who is also a chief petitioner said “I had no doubt we would get the signatures, but to get them this quickly — it’s crazy. Holy smokes!”.
Since petition sheets became available a couple of weeks ago, signing locations and volunteer hubs have multiplied. As of Tuesday morning, 22 counties now have official signing sites listed on NoTaxOR.com, including rural regions that typically take longer to mobilize in statewide petition efforts. Volunteer captains continue to announce new pop-up locations throughout the day.
The referendum seeks to repeal a package of tax increases that includes:
• a six-cent gas tax hike,
• higher title and registration fees, and
• a new 0.1% statewide payroll tax to support public transit.
Gov. Kotek has defended the plan as essential for funding highway safety, preventing layoffs at the Oregon Department of Transportation, and maintaining transit service. Opponents counter that the revenue package increases costs for working Oregonians already strained by inflation, while doing little to fix ODOT’s structural financial problems. In a statement to KOIN the Governor “warned that emergency funding to keep Oregon’s roads and bridges safe will be immediately suspended with no viable backup plan.”
The effort has also gained political traction. Republican gubernatorial candidates Danielle Bethell and Christine Drazan have publicly backed the referendum and encouraged voters to sign, adding visibility to the campaign as it accelerates into rural and suburban regions.
Organizers say the next challenge will be ensuring that the large influx of circulating petition sheets are accurately collected, sorted, and returned ahead of the Dec. 30 deadline. If the signatures are validated, the transportation tax package will appear on the November 2026 statewide ballot.
With signatures climbing by the hour and more counties reporting incoming sheet deliveries, Diehl says the message to Salem is unmistakable: “Oregon grit is on full display.”
Signing locations are updated continuously at NoTaxOR.com/sign.
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