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Weeks After the Vote, Fate of GE Food Labeling Still Unclear

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Monday, November 24, 2014   

PORTLAND, Ore. - It may be Christmas before Oregonians know the fate of genetically-engineered (GE) food labeling in the state.

The initial November ballot counts become official next week, Dec. 4, but for Measure 92, to require labeling of food products with genetically-engineered ingredients sold in Oregon, the margin between pass and fail is one-tenth of one percent.

That's fewer than 1,100 votes statewide, and well within the boundaries for a mandatory recount. Sandeep Kaushik, spokesman for the Oregon Right to Know Coalition, says it would entail counties checking their ballots by hand.

"It's happened in the past that when you do recounts like this, sometimes ballots will be discovered that weren't counted the first time around and just got missed," he says. "Lots of different things can happen as part of a recount that could add up to changing the outcome of this election."

When the state said an estimated 13,000 ballots were in limbo with questions about their validity, Kaushik says the "Yes on 92" volunteers got on the phones and located several thousand of those voters, urging them to clear up the problems at county election offices.

Political pundits called the race early as a victory for labeling opponents, who outspent backers of Measure 92 by $12 million, mostly money from out-of-state agribusiness and food companies.

One of the points made by opponents is that GE labeling should be a national issue. Kaushik says it's a point the two sides actually agree on but Congress is gridlocked.

"In all sorts of different issues where they've had paralysis at the federal level, it's the states that take the lead," says Kaushik. "In fact, Oregon has a tradition of taking the lead on important issues. We think that this falls into that kind of category."

In his opinion, regardless of the final outcome, the fact the Oregon vote has been so close makes it a win for people who want to see greater transparency in the food system.


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