Oregon Ballot Initiative Aims to Eliminate Animal Cruelty Exemptions

The proposed PEACE Act faces an uphill battle but highlights growing animal rights movement

Published on Feb. 17, 2026

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A proposed Oregon ballot initiative, the People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions (PEACE) Act, is sparking debate and raising concerns among hunters, ranchers, and agricultural communities. The measure aims to remove exemptions currently afforded to activities like hunting, fishing, livestock production, and research. While the initiative faces long odds of passage, its existence serves as a 'cautionary tale' for other states, according to those closely watching the situation.

Why it matters

The PEACE Act's core premise of fundamentally changing how 'minimum care,' abuse, and neglect are defined has raised alarms about the potential criminalization of common farming and ranching practices. The initiative is part of a broader, long-term strategy by animal rights activists to shift societal norms, though previous similar efforts in Oregon and Colorado have failed.

The details

To qualify for the November ballot, the PEACE Act initiative needs 117,173 valid signatures by July 2nd. As of February 16, 2026, organizers have collected approximately 100,000 signatures. While the measure is unlikely to pass, according to experts, its proponents view each attempt to advance such measures as incrementally shifting public opinion towards greater acceptance of animal rights.

  • The PEACE Act initiative needs 117,173 valid signatures by July 2, 2026 to qualify for the November ballot.
  • As of February 16, 2026, organizers have collected approximately 100,000 signatures.

The players

Amy Patrick

Policy director and lobbyist for the Oregon Hunters Association, who believes the initiative is unlikely to pass but emphasizes the importance of recognizing the underlying threat to traditional outdoor pursuits and agricultural practices.

David Michelson

Chief petitioner of the PEACE Act initiative, who acknowledges the long odds of success but frames the effort as part of a broader, long-term strategy to shift societal norms regarding animal rights.

Selah Tenney

A rural Oregon resident who raises sheep on her 20-acre property near Roseburg, Oregon, and views Michelson as an 'extremist' whose initiative would effectively criminalize the livelihoods of many rural Oregonians.

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What they’re saying

“I think Oregon is almost always a cautionary tale for other states' due to its 'sharp urban-rural divide,'”

— Amy Patrick, Policy director and lobbyist, Oregon Hunters Association

“When voters in Oregon are asked—for the first time in world history—whether they would like to protect animals from slaughter, hunting, experimentation, and forced breeding, I believe those conversations will help wake us up to how we currently relate to animals and illuminate what alternative relations are possible,”

— David Michelson, Chief petitioner, PEACE Act initiative (Campaign website)

“I really don't think this measure would have a chance as it is so ridiculous. If it did by some miracle pass, then there aren't enough prisons in the country to house all of us 'lawbreakers,'”

— Selah Tenney, Rural Oregon resident and sheep farmer

What’s next

The PEACE Act initiative needs to collect 117,173 valid signatures by July 2, 2026 to qualify for the November ballot.

The takeaway

The PEACE Act initiative highlights the growing influence of the animal rights movement, even in traditionally conservative areas like hunting and agriculture. While the measure faces an uphill battle, its existence serves as a warning to other states about the potential for similar efforts to challenge long-standing practices and industries.