 |
Columbine
JonBenet
Election 2000
Homeless murders
Legislature
Special reports
Nation
World
Sci/Tech
Religion
Columnists
Opinion
Denver Square
Obituaries
Weather
Lottery
|
|
January 7 Election ruling examined
|
Yes on state referendums B, C, D
On every ballot there are issues that catch you by surprise, issues you've heard nothing about.
This year will be no exception. State referendums B, C and D, for instance. They are getting little if any attention because they aren't important enough to command serious budgets pro or con. That means the world will keep turning whether you vote yes or no.
Still, you have your pride, and that requires knowledge of, and an opinion on, all ballot issues before you vote. It's not only embarrassing to find an issue you know nothing about, it delays everybody in line behind you while you try to read the fine print.
We're here to help. Vote yes on all three.
Referendum B moves up the timetable on legislative reapportionment, that tedious and highly political process that must take place after every decennial census so that the number of voters in every House district is the same, and likewise for the Senate.
Currently the reapportionment process begins July 1 of the year following the census with the appointment of 11 commission members. It runs through the following March 15, with intermediate deadlines along the way for preparing a preliminary plan, completing public hearings and submitting a final plan to the Colorado Supreme Court.
Under Referendum B, the process would begin in mid-May and finish by mid-February. Advantages: The public hearings could begin in the fall instead of the winter, and the court process would be given a more realistic nine weeks instead of the current six. Finally, county clerks would get more time to redraw precinct lines.
And the No. 1 reason to vote yes: Nobody could even muster any ``arguments against'' for the Blue Book.
Referendum C would allow counties to appoint a surveyor if nobody chooses to run for the office. Indeed only 27 Colorado counties have an elected surveyor, and they are subject to term limits. Only two are full-time.
It was once a political position, but now is more technical and harder to fill. Appointed surveyors would serve at the pleasure of the county commissioners and wouldn't have to leave office just because their eight years are up.
Referendum D eliminates outdated references to political offices that no longer exist - such as constables and justices of the peace - and removes provisions that have expired or are outdated. For instance, does the Constitution really need to say that ``The officers herein named elected at the general election in 1954 shall hold their respective offices until the second Tuesday of January, 1959''?
We've looked through the changes, and there don't seem to be any substantive ones that the legislature is trying to sneak through. The state constitution is far too long already; removing these superfluous provisions is good.
September 25, 2000
Questions? Comments? Talk to Us.