(2) Not sooner than the 120th day and not later than the 70th day before the general election, the party officers as designated in the organizational documents of any less than statewide political party or assembly of electors having nominated candidates may file with the Secretary of State a statement of arguments for the success of its principles and election of its candidates on a county basis and opposing the principles and candidates of other political parties or organizations on a county basis.

(3)(a) Any statewide political party or assembly of electors having nominated candidates shall pay a fee of $1,200 to the Secretary of State when the statement is filed or may submit a petition in a form prescribed by the secretary containing the signatures of 500 active electors.

(b) Any less than statewide political party or assembly of electors having nominated candidates shall pay a fee of $600 to the Secretary of State when the statement is filed or may submit a petition in a form prescribed by the secretary containing the signatures of 300 active electors.

(c) The signatures on a petition submitted under this subsection shall be verified by the county clerk or the Secretary of State.

(d) The Secretary of State by rule shall establish procedures for verifying whether a petition submitted under this subsection contains the required number of signatures of active electors.

(4) A statement of arguments filed under this section must be filed using the electronic filing system adopted by the Secretary of State under ORS 251.014.

(5) The Secretary of State by rule shall prescribe the size of the statements permitted under this section, except that any statewide political party or assembly of electors having nominated candidates shall be allotted more space than any less than statewide political party or assembly of electors having nominated candidates.

(6) For purposes of this section, an "active elector" is a person whose registration is considered active as described in ORS 247.013. [Formerly 255.211; 1987 c.707 §13; 1989 c.503 §10; 1993 c.797 §22; 1999 c.318 §13; 2009 c.817 §2; 2011 c.482 §2; 2011 c.646 §3; 2013 c.518 §3; 2017 c.749 §24]