Ballot Initiatives

Here's a story on new poll results in Washington state, that show Initiative 1000, which legalizes physician-assisted death, with a big lead. A controversial measure to set aside general fund money for relief from traffic congestion,is in a dead heat.

The Oregonian profiles Loren Parks, the Nevada millionaire who has given big to Oregon initiative campaigns.

The Sacramento Bee did an interesting analysis of the total expected cost, over time, if all 12 measures on the state ballot next month were to pass. The story is here. Much of the expense is in the four bond measures: Prop 1A (high speed rail), Prop 3 (children's hospitals), Prop 10 (energy) and Prop 12 (veterans' housing). A good rule of thumb for bonds: double the amount that's being borrowed, and you have the real cost.

Bob Stern of CGS is quoted as saying he believes that, at this economic moment, voters are likely to vote no on almost everything. I tend to agree.

That's the motto of the In-House Drafting Committee, one of the most interesting government offices I've come across. The committee handles the official translation of all legislation -- including initiatives and referenda -- in Switzerland. It's a crucial role in a country with three major national languages -- German, French and Italian. They do not have a light hand--they do serious editing for clarity and for constitutionality. The office has an interesting collection of people: historians, political scientists, linguists and two-- count 'em, two -- theologians. (They're considered particularly good on questions of ethics, morality and the original meaning of texts).

It's an article of faith that Switzerland's diversity, particularly in language, is both a challenge and an advantage for the country's democracy. "Ideas tend to be expressed more clearly when they have to be translated," one staffer explained to me. I asked if there is often resistance to the changes they suggest in ballot initiatives filed by citizens. The answer: no. The committee essentially provides legislative drafting to initiative sponsors. The initiative writers can reject the suggestions of the drafting committee, but they rarely do. The committee eliminates ambiguity, make initiatives shorter, and make the terms so clear that their meaning will be clear in three languages. That's what it means to think like a philosopher and write like a farmer.

Scanning email and the news from Bern, here's a bit of d.d. news.

PALIN AND PROPS: The Washington Post takes a look at Gov. Sarah Palin's last-minute intervention on behalf of mining interests against a ballot initiative this August. The Post suggests she may have broken state law barring the use of government resources to support or oppose a ballot measure.

FIRST 'YES ON 8' AD: It's brutal but effective. The supporters of the same-sex marriage ban in California debut a clever TV advertisement that stars Gavin Newsom, a same-sex marriage supporter. They don't make an argument against the marriage. They make an argument that you're being forced to accept same-sex marriage. (Newsom is quoted as saying that such marriages are coming whether you like it or not). It's not an idea pulled out of thin air. The state Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage this spring declared that gay couples had a constitutional right to acceptance of how they form families. It was a strong moral argument, but, in my reporting, some same-sex marriage supporters worried that it might be vulnerable politically (and perhaps legally).

The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, which attempts to counter conservative ballot initiatives, has long battled Ward Connerly's efforts to end affirmative action. This fall, BISC gets intensely personal, accusing Connerly of seeking to profit from his not-for-profits in new TV ads that BISC says are being aired in Colorado and Nebraska (the two states where his anti-affirmative action initiatives qualified for the ballot this year). Ironically, there's a real question whether Connerly has the money to respond. While this ad paints him as deep-pocketed, he and his allies have had a hard time producing the resources and signatures to qualify ballot initiatives this year. (He failed in three states).

Supporters of the California initiative to ban same-sex marriage have outpaced opponents  thus far. More details in this Los Angeles Times story. Bob Stern of the Center for Governmental Studies, which recently completed an excellent report on initiatives, says that Prop 8 could prove to be the most expensive campaign ever waged over a social issue.

At least the 12 on the statewide ballot in California. And Robert Greene of the LA Times tells these stories.

That's Washington state, folks. There haven't been many films made about ballot initiatives (though if you watch "Chinatown" closely, the most important character is really a water bond measure), so this merits a little notice. So now comes "The Battle of Tim Eyman," about Washington state's antic, self-aggrandazing sponsor of many, many ballot initiatives. It's something of a conservative love letter by someone who is obviously a fan, a number of scenes take place in clerk's offices. but until Schwarzenegger himself leaves office and makes an action film about Prop 11, it's all we got. The movie web site is here and a brief piece on the movie is here.

In Colorado, there's a multi-initiative war between business and labor interests. Each side is sponsoring multiple measures. But there are talks underway, with some participation by Gov. Bill Ritter, aimed at avoiding a full war in November. The Denver Business Journal has details. Labor has agreed to drop its initiatives -- which are aimed at business prerogatives -- if business leaders will help the unions defeat Measure 47, an initiative to make Colorado a "right-to-work," or open shop, state.

ADDED, 9/21: More details on the talks from the Rocky Mountain News, which even has some documents on the deal-making.