By THE VOICE OF AURORA
The Aurora Sentinel
Published: Thursday, April 2, 2009 10:31 AM MDT
A proposed state measure that would help ensure that statewide petition signatures are authentic and rightfully collected needs to make it the governor’s desk for a prompt signing into law.For years, Colorado’s initiative system has been suspect as out-of-state interests have moved into Colorado to essentially buy their way onto the law books.These well-funded organizations have taken advantage of Colorado’s priority on ensuring access to petition the government isn’t limited by bureaucratic roadblocks. That goal still needs to be state lawmakers’ priority when addressing the problem, but it’s time to admit that Colorado has a problem here.The problem stems from allowing those trying to put an initiative on the ballot to use paid petition collectors. That the state allows professional collectors isn’t by itself a bad thing, but that there is so little regulation of those who collect signatures is a serious concern. A good example of why change is needed comes from the General Election last year. Paid circulators here in Aurora asked an employee of the Aurora Sentinel if he was interested in protecting civil rights, and if so, to sign a petition to put an issue before voters. The collector failed to mention that signing the petition would help put a question on the ballot that ended affirmative action programs in the Colorado, hardly a working definition of civil rights.Past investigations have shown that huge numbers of signatures for past questions have been collected under questionable or downright illegal circumstances.
Full Editorial: http://www.aurorasentinel.com/articles/2009/04/02/opinion/editorials/doc49d4e84f98948030345507.txt
Showing posts with label petition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label petition. Show all posts
Monday, April 6, 2009
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Parson wants new laws for petitioners (Missouri)
News-Leader
Reform would curb fraud, official says.
Chad Livengood
December 27, 2008
When an interest group wants to gather signatures in Missouri to put a proposed change in the Constitution before voters, they commonly hire people to help.
And those petition circulators typically get paid per signature, heightening the possibility of fraudulent names being signed to the forms.
State Rep. Mike Parson, R-Bolivar, wants to put an end to the practice of people being paid for every signature they gather.
"What's happening is a company or a special-interest group can come in from out of the state, basically unload the signature gathers (from a bus), do a marketing campaign and change the Constitution of the State of Missouri," he said.
Parson said the system is being abused by people who are more interested in making money than making legitimate improvements to the Constitution.
"Let's face it, do they really care what the issue is they're doing? Their job is to gather signatures," said Parson, a former Polk County sheriff. "If we're going to change the Constitution of the state of Missouri, let's have Missourians who are going to do it."
Full Story: http://www.news-leader.com/article/20081227/NEWS01/812270341/1001/RSS01
Reform would curb fraud, official says.
Chad Livengood
December 27, 2008
When an interest group wants to gather signatures in Missouri to put a proposed change in the Constitution before voters, they commonly hire people to help.
And those petition circulators typically get paid per signature, heightening the possibility of fraudulent names being signed to the forms.
State Rep. Mike Parson, R-Bolivar, wants to put an end to the practice of people being paid for every signature they gather.
"What's happening is a company or a special-interest group can come in from out of the state, basically unload the signature gathers (from a bus), do a marketing campaign and change the Constitution of the State of Missouri," he said.
Parson said the system is being abused by people who are more interested in making money than making legitimate improvements to the Constitution.
"Let's face it, do they really care what the issue is they're doing? Their job is to gather signatures," said Parson, a former Polk County sheriff. "If we're going to change the Constitution of the state of Missouri, let's have Missourians who are going to do it."
Full Story: http://www.news-leader.com/article/20081227/NEWS01/812270341/1001/RSS01
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Judge dismisses complaints that anti-affirmative action petitioners misled voters
The Colorado Independent
By Naomi Zeveloff 9/24/08 7:24 AM
An administrative law judge has thrown out charges that Amendment 46 petition circulators misled people into signing onto the anti-affirmative action measure.
Amendment 46 seeks to end preferential treatment for women and minorities in public employment, education and contracting. The controversially named Colorado Civil Rights Initiative is part of a five-state effort launched by California businessman Ward Connerly to end affirmative action.
Connerly’s campaign has been criticized as a misleading attempt to make voters believe that they are promoting equal opportunity rather than destroying it. And in Colorado, at least a half-dozen people filed complaints with the secretary of state’s office, saying they were duped by petition circulators who told them that signing onto Amendment 46 would uphold diversity programs.
But last Friday, an administrative law judge dismissed those claims because they did not provide enough detail. And though several of the six complainants say they may file their grievances again, the months-long process has left them demoralized.
“I think all of us are going through some form of shock right now,” says Venita Vinson, a retired Denver resident who used to work for former Colorado Rep. Pat Schroeder, a Democrat. Vinson says that she was approached by a petition circulator for the Colorado Civil Rights Initiative last October outside of a King Soopers in Denver. The circulator asked her to sign on for affirmative action. “When I said to the circulator, ‘But we already have affirmative action,’ her response was ‘But it is due to expire.’” Vinson did not read the text of the petition but signed it anyway.
It wasn’t until months later, at a community meeting, that she found out about the true intent of the initiative. “At that point, I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I signed it.’” The revelation prompted her to file a complaint with the secretary of state to get her name struck from the petition.
Others, like Candace Frie, read the text of the initiative but still signed, not understanding that she was opting to abolish affirmative action. She was approached last February outside a King Soopers in Arvada. “I was going in and a fellow came up to me, an African-American male, and asked me to sign a petition to end discrimination in Colorado,” she says. “I asked if I could read it and it did say it would end discrimination. I didn’t see anything that raised any red flags.” (The language of the initiative prohibits preferential treatment and discrimination.) [To read the entire story, go to: http://coloradoindependent.com/9009/judge-dismisses-compliants ]
By Naomi Zeveloff 9/24/08 7:24 AM
An administrative law judge has thrown out charges that Amendment 46 petition circulators misled people into signing onto the anti-affirmative action measure.
Amendment 46 seeks to end preferential treatment for women and minorities in public employment, education and contracting. The controversially named Colorado Civil Rights Initiative is part of a five-state effort launched by California businessman Ward Connerly to end affirmative action.
Connerly’s campaign has been criticized as a misleading attempt to make voters believe that they are promoting equal opportunity rather than destroying it. And in Colorado, at least a half-dozen people filed complaints with the secretary of state’s office, saying they were duped by petition circulators who told them that signing onto Amendment 46 would uphold diversity programs.
But last Friday, an administrative law judge dismissed those claims because they did not provide enough detail. And though several of the six complainants say they may file their grievances again, the months-long process has left them demoralized.
“I think all of us are going through some form of shock right now,” says Venita Vinson, a retired Denver resident who used to work for former Colorado Rep. Pat Schroeder, a Democrat. Vinson says that she was approached by a petition circulator for the Colorado Civil Rights Initiative last October outside of a King Soopers in Denver. The circulator asked her to sign on for affirmative action. “When I said to the circulator, ‘But we already have affirmative action,’ her response was ‘But it is due to expire.’” Vinson did not read the text of the petition but signed it anyway.
It wasn’t until months later, at a community meeting, that she found out about the true intent of the initiative. “At that point, I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I signed it.’” The revelation prompted her to file a complaint with the secretary of state to get her name struck from the petition.
Others, like Candace Frie, read the text of the initiative but still signed, not understanding that she was opting to abolish affirmative action. She was approached last February outside a King Soopers in Arvada. “I was going in and a fellow came up to me, an African-American male, and asked me to sign a petition to end discrimination in Colorado,” she says. “I asked if I could read it and it did say it would end discrimination. I didn’t see anything that raised any red flags.” (The language of the initiative prohibits preferential treatment and discrimination.) [To read the entire story, go to: http://coloradoindependent.com/9009/judge-dismisses-compliants ]
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