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Bills to protect initiative process awaiting
action
Rep. Cary Condotta sponsored measure to ensure all
valid signatures are counted
With Democrats in the
House and Senate proposing legislation to severely restrict citizen
rights to the initiative process,
Rep. Cary Condotta urged his
colleagues to support his bill which would stop the disenfranchisement
of voters.
House Bill 3173, sponsored
by Condotta, would require the Secretary of State to count every valid
signature on a petition regardless of the status of the signature
gatherer. Democrats have proposed bills to invalidate legally gathered
signatures on petitions if the signature gatherer is being paid to
collect signatures or doesn't meet certain criteria outlined in their
bills, such as registration requirements.
"We should be glad people
are participating in their government, but there are several bills
floating around that will damage our constitutional right to
self-govern," said Condotta. "Democrats aren't inclined to protect the
rights of citizens to express their support for an issue being presented
as an initiative. But, I believe we must act to protect free speech and
that every valid signature should be counted.
Two Democrat bills, in
particular, are of concern to Condotta. House Bill 2019 would require
signature gatherers to sign a petition under oath, creating the illusion
that without signing the oath, the petition gatherer is less than
trustworthy. The second measure, House Bill 2601, would require that
paid signature gatherers and companies who use them to register with the
state Public Disclosure Commission.
"There is an issue
with registration that the sponsors of the bill refuse to acknowledge --
what if someone who doesn't like the initiative uses the information to
retaliate against a signature gatherer? This is slippery territory,"
said Condotta. "Democrat bills are solutions in search of a problem. Our
system is working just fine."
The reality is, he said, when
registered voters sign onto an initiative or referendum they are expressing free
speech. Condotta added that the
notion that valid signatures on a petition could be thrown out because
the signature gatherer has made a misstep could end up in court.
"We had a bill in the
Senate I thought would address our concerns, but it's being held up and
we just can't wait any longer," Condotta said. "The bottom line is that
if the Senate doesn't respect the rights of voters, maybe the House
will. We cannot afford to stand by while citizens' are losing their
rights.
"We can't arbitrarily take
away a person's right to speak out in support of an issue because we
don't like the person sponsoring the initiative or referendum. If petition signatures match the ones on the
valid voter registration cards they should be counted and their voice should be
heard," said Condotta.
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For more information, contact:
Bobbi Cussins, Public Information Officer: (360) 786-7252
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