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I’m looking at this year's sample ballot. It's long.
How long? Try two pages, front and back long. Nineteen ballot questions long. A simple vote for president? McCain/Palin or Obama/Biden? Nope. There are 16 presidential tickets to choose from. (I'm worried that the “Socialist Workers” ticket might end up splitting votes with the “Socialist, USA” and “Socialism and Liberation” tickets, dooming them all to defeat. More poor planning from the socialists, natch.)
This election, you get to vote for president, U.S. senator, U.S. representative, state senate (if you live in Fort Collins), state representative, district attorney, and two county commissioners. You also get to vote on 19 ballot questions: 14 proposed amendments to the Colorado Constitution, four Colorado referenda and one Larimer County referendum.
Larimer County Clerk and Recorder Scott Doyle has warned that if you wait until Election Day, you should “bring a lunch.” So in the spirit of civic duty, I've compiled a handy voter's guide for the ballot questions. (It works both ways, of course. If you tend to disagree with this column, just vote the opposite of my recommendations. I'm here to help.)
For the sake of sanity and space, I'm only going to comment on a few of these…
« Amendment 46 would end race-based preferences for state hiring, contracts and public education. (Yes.)
« Amendment 47 would allow you to work at a unionized company without being forced to join a union. (Yes.)
« Amendment 48 would define the word “person” as beginning at fertilization.
« Amendment 49 would prohibit governments from automatically deducting union dues from employees' paychecks. (Yes. Government shouldn't be the bag-man for unions.)
« Amendment 50 would expand gambling in Central City, Black Hawk and Cripple Creek by extending hours and raising bet limits.
« Amendment 51 would raise taxes to fund developmental disabilities.
« Amendment 52 would use a portion of the severance tax to fund transportation. (Yes. This would use an existing tax to pay for desperately-needed road improvements.)
« Amendment 53 would make business leaders liable for the actions of their companies. (No. This would crush job-creation in Colorado. Would you be willing to start a business if a slip-and-fall lawsuit could take your family's house and your life savings?)
« Amendment 54 would prohibit campaign contributors from receiving state contracts.
« Amendment 55 would require employers to establish “just cause” to fire someone. (No. Your boss would have to produce documentation to the government in order to fire that slacker sitting in the next cubicle? Do you want the government to tell companies who they can and can't fire?)
« Amendment 56 would require companies of 20 employees or more to provide health insurance. (No. Companies aren't bottomless wells of cash. In the real world, when the cost of providing a job goes up, the number of jobs goes down. This is a recipe for higher unemployment.)
« Amendment 57 would allow injured employees to sue above and beyond the workers' compensation system. (No. We have a workers' comp system for a reason: so we don't tie up our economy with endless lawsuits. When workers get hurt on the job, there's a system that takes care of them already.)
« Amendment 58 would raise severance taxes to fund college scholarships. (No. This raises taxes on oil and gas. Who ends up paying those taxes? You. At the gas pump.)
« Amendment 59 would increase education funding by 1 percent each year and pay for it with the Tabor refund. Referendum L would lower the age of serving in the state legislature to 21. Referenda M and N would remove outdated and obsolete provisions from the constitution.
« Finally, Referendum O would make it harder to get amendments and referenda on the ballot. (Yes. This might just be the best idea of the bunch.)
So read your “Blue Book” when it comes in the mail in a few weeks. Take your time and make up your own mind. To be honest, I'm still trying to figure out a few of these myself.
How long? Try two pages, front and back long. Nineteen ballot questions long. A simple vote for president? McCain/Palin or Obama/Biden? Nope. There are 16 presidential tickets to choose from. (I'm worried that the “Socialist Workers” ticket might end up splitting votes with the “Socialist, USA” and “Socialism and Liberation” tickets, dooming them all to defeat. More poor planning from the socialists, natch.)
This election, you get to vote for president, U.S. senator, U.S. representative, state senate (if you live in Fort Collins), state representative, district attorney, and two county commissioners. You also get to vote on 19 ballot questions: 14 proposed amendments to the Colorado Constitution, four Colorado referenda and one Larimer County referendum.
Larimer County Clerk and Recorder Scott Doyle has warned that if you wait until Election Day, you should “bring a lunch.” So in the spirit of civic duty, I've compiled a handy voter's guide for the ballot questions. (It works both ways, of course. If you tend to disagree with this column, just vote the opposite of my recommendations. I'm here to help.)
For the sake of sanity and space, I'm only going to comment on a few of these…
« Amendment 46 would end race-based preferences for state hiring, contracts and public education. (Yes.)
« Amendment 47 would allow you to work at a unionized company without being forced to join a union. (Yes.)
« Amendment 48 would define the word “person” as beginning at fertilization.
« Amendment 49 would prohibit governments from automatically deducting union dues from employees' paychecks. (Yes. Government shouldn't be the bag-man for unions.)
« Amendment 50 would expand gambling in Central City, Black Hawk and Cripple Creek by extending hours and raising bet limits.
« Amendment 51 would raise taxes to fund developmental disabilities.
« Amendment 52 would use a portion of the severance tax to fund transportation. (Yes. This would use an existing tax to pay for desperately-needed road improvements.)
« Amendment 53 would make business leaders liable for the actions of their companies. (No. This would crush job-creation in Colorado. Would you be willing to start a business if a slip-and-fall lawsuit could take your family's house and your life savings?)
« Amendment 54 would prohibit campaign contributors from receiving state contracts.
« Amendment 55 would require employers to establish “just cause” to fire someone. (No. Your boss would have to produce documentation to the government in order to fire that slacker sitting in the next cubicle? Do you want the government to tell companies who they can and can't fire?)
« Amendment 56 would require companies of 20 employees or more to provide health insurance. (No. Companies aren't bottomless wells of cash. In the real world, when the cost of providing a job goes up, the number of jobs goes down. This is a recipe for higher unemployment.)
« Amendment 57 would allow injured employees to sue above and beyond the workers' compensation system. (No. We have a workers' comp system for a reason: so we don't tie up our economy with endless lawsuits. When workers get hurt on the job, there's a system that takes care of them already.)
« Amendment 58 would raise severance taxes to fund college scholarships. (No. This raises taxes on oil and gas. Who ends up paying those taxes? You. At the gas pump.)
« Amendment 59 would increase education funding by 1 percent each year and pay for it with the Tabor refund. Referendum L would lower the age of serving in the state legislature to 21. Referenda M and N would remove outdated and obsolete provisions from the constitution.
« Finally, Referendum O would make it harder to get amendments and referenda on the ballot. (Yes. This might just be the best idea of the bunch.)
So read your “Blue Book” when it comes in the mail in a few weeks. Take your time and make up your own mind. To be honest, I'm still trying to figure out a few of these myself.
