SALT LAKE CITY — Opponents of Amendment D, which would override a Utah Supreme Court ruling on citizen ballot initiatives, say the language appearing before voters on the November ballot is "slanted."
The language for all four constitutional amendments were released on Wednesday by Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson's office, which oversees elections for the state. Here they are:
The language of Amendment D has irritated opponents of it. In a statement, Better Boundaries accused the legislature of tweaking the wording to confuse voters. While it does prohibit foreign influence on initiatives, it would also override the Utah Supreme Court's decision on citizen ballot initiatives that "alter or reform government."
"The ballot language issued by legislative leadership is hopelessly slanted. It is not true that this amendment will strengthen the initiative process; it will weaken that process. It is not true that the amendment will establish requirements for the legislature to follow the intent of a ballot initiative; it will free them to override initiatives passed by the will of the people," Ryan Bell, a member of the board of Better Boundaries, said in a statement to FOX 13 News.
"It is saddening to see legislative leadership compound their refusal to engage with the people on this issue with ballot language that is likely to mislead the people. Better Boundaries and its many allies will ensure that the people of Utah see through these tactics."
In a statement to FOX 13 News, the Yes on Amendment D campaign insisted the language is accurate.
"The ballot language is clear and direct. The amendment prohibits foreign influence and clarifies the legislature’s role in the initiative process. The critics’ true concern seems to be that the language is so easy to understand that voters will be hard pressed to find reasons to oppose it," said Marty Carpenter, the campaign's spokesperson.
In the past, Republican legislative leaders have argued that Amendment D is necessary because it would prevent a flood of citizen ballot initiatives. They also have insisted that the Utah Supreme Court's decision hinders their ability to fix any problems with amendments that do pass. Critics have called it a legislative "power grab" that seeks to block citizens from passing initiatives they've been forced to run because of legislative inaction on issues facing the state.
Amendment A is also facing headwinds. The Utah Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, has told FOX 13 News it will campaign against it. The union argues the amendment takes money from public education. Legislative leaders have argued they need it for overall state budget stability.
