The strategy adopted by the Oregon Council to Abolish the Death Penalty included organizing a statewide abolition group; mobilizing support from allied organizations; designing a mass media campaign, especially for the populous region around Portland; and arranging radio and television discussions and spot announcements late in the campaign. Other strategies included preparing research papers on the death penalty for use as press releases and speakers' notes, holding a national conference at a local college, and encouraging sermons in the churches statewide to explore the religious and moral aspects of the death penalty. Opposition to the council's activities was infrequent and unorganized, yet the campaign's success remains difficult to explain. Defeat of the death penalty at the polls in that particular election was probably owing to an unusual combination of factors, making it difficult if not impossible to duplicate the results elsewhere. For example, victory at the polls may have been helped by the timing of the election (held during a presidential election), the growing number of young voters, and the concentration of funds in the State's most populous county. Footnotes are included. (Author abstract modified)