Here's a story from the Rocky Mountain News detailing some of the issues around the Petition Rights Amendment [December 12, 2005, "Easier petition rules at issue"]. From the article, "The initiative was written by Doug Campbell, a Jefferson County resident active in pro-Taxpayer's Bill of Rights and anti-abortion efforts; Douglas Bruce, author of the 1992 TABOR; and Dennis Polhill, a senior fellow at the Independence Institute who has been active in initiative education efforts nationally. 'It's the job of government to implement initiatives, not to stand in the way,' Campbell said. The Petition Rights Amendment covers both initiatives and referendums. An initiative is a measure put on the ballot by citizens that amends the state constitution or changes laws. A referendum is a measure put on the ballot by citizens that allows voters to change a law passed by the legislature."
The Petition Rights Amendment on the ballot next year, in part: Requires all initiatives, even local ones, be voted on during November general elections; Removes the odd/even year restriction that determines when issues can appear; Extends the petition circulation period from six months to a year; Transfers the authority to invalidate a signature from an elections employee to a district court judge; Shortens the time limit for challenging an initiative; Limits governments from enacting so-called safety clauses, which prevent citizens from overturning laws by use of a referendum; Extends citizen initiatives to all levels of government, including counties; Limits language on the ballot to 75 words or less; Restricts government resources from being used in any way to fight or support a measure; imposes a minimum $3,000 fine on any government entity and all employees involved; and forbids tax dollars from being used to reimburse or defend any employee involved; Requires a citizen vote to change any portion of the petition process; Allows petition organizers to describe their initiative in their own words in any government-distributed ballot information booklet."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
5:44:40 AM 
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