Women’s rights amendment qualifies for Oregon ballot

SALEM, Ore. (AP) _ A proposed equal-rights amendment for women has qualified for Oregon’s November ballot.

The secretary of state’s office said Monday the petitioners have turned in more than 118,000 valid signatures, about 2,000 more than needed to qualify a constitutional amendment.

The measure was proposed by Leanne Littrell DiLorenzo of Portland, who founded a group called VoteERA. DiLorenzo and her husband, lawyer and lobbyist John DiLorenzo, contributed most of the $472,000 spent on the signature-gathering effort.

The measure would amend the state constitution to prohibit state and local governments from discriminating on the basis of gender.

An Oregon Supreme Court ruling provides protection against gender-based discrimination, but amendment advocates say it’s important for women’s rights to be enshrined in the constitution.