UEG News
Contact the Governor to Veto SB 275
Tell your friends to do the same!
March 5, 2010
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Phone: 801-538-1000 or toll-free 1-800-705-2464
Fax: 801-538-1528
The Legislature has passed a bill that is extremely adverse to our initiative petition and for ALL citizens’ initiatives of the future - our constitutional right. Please immediately call or email the Governor and ask him to veto this bill. This is a knife in the back of democracy.
Points to express (select a couple that are personal to you):
- SB 275 could signal the death knell for citizen initiative and referenda “enshrined” in the constitution.
- The Legislature objects to any and all citizen initiatives and referenda, although both are an important right in the Utah Constitution.
- Legislators think only they should be able to legislate. They keep making it more and more difficult for initiatives to get on the ballot.
- Getting initiatives on the ballot is way harder than California; there’s no way we’ll be like California.
- SB275 is an attempt to make it easier for the opposition to obstruct all initiatives and referenda, the current ones and others in the future. It gives the opposition unfair advantage.
- Allowing removal of a signature without a notary is not the issue.
- The bill extends the timeline for removal, which no longer will end when the county clerk submits names to the Lieutenant Governor.
The timeline to submit requests for removal of one’s signature extends until May 15th, a whole month after the time when no more signatures can be gathered.
- Both sides should have equal opportunity to solicit signatures and invite signers to remove signatures—with the same deadline for the clerks to certify which signatures should go forward to the LG.
- The rules have changed in the middle of the game when one side can no longer play. What procedural unfairness!”