Opinion Partisan ballot wording misleads voters about tax measures HEAD TOPICS
Opinion Partisan ballot wording misleads voters about tax measures
10/21/2022 3:17:00 PM Opinion Partisan ballot wording misleads voters about tax measures
Source Mercury News
Opinion Partisan ballot wording misleads voters about tax measures The 75-word questions suffer from ‘proponent’s bias’ and fall short of the required transparency and impartiality. UPDATED:October 21, 2022 at 5:20 a.m.In every California election, voters are asked to approve ballot measures proposed by local officials. But the partisan description on the ballots misleads voters about what the measures would do, how they would raise government spending and increase taxes. While their subject matter may be wide-ranging, all ballot measures have one thing in common: a 75-word-maximum ballot question — a question required by law to be accurate and impartial. A 2021 Alameda County Grand Juryreport, “The Need for Accuracy and Impartiality of Ballot Measure Questions,” should be particularly important this time of year. Read more:
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Ohio absentee ballots could require extra stamps, election officials sayTe required postage to return the ballot by mail can vary based on the number of items on the ballot – a longer ballot means more weight, which can mean more stamps. absentee ballots should come with pre-paid postage for the return envelopes. there should be absolutely no cost whatsoever associated with voting to the extent that ensuring so is reasonable Why bother doing by mail. The USPS workers steal the mail anyway. They can't be depended on. Heres what I don’t get why isn’t return postage included? It would eliminate the confusion. Ohio pays to staff the voting sites on election day and the necessary training prior. October 21, 2022 at 5:15 a.The number of vacant homes in San Francisco surged by more than 50% between 2019 and 2021, reflecting the pandemic-era exodus from The City.PHOENIX (AP) — Hobbs, who is the Democratic nominee for governor, said in a statement that affected voters will receive the correct ballot shortly.LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- One week after three council members and a top county labor official were heard on a taped 2021 conversation attempting to impact last year's redistricting process in favor of themselves, the City Council voted Tuesday to begin the process of placing a measure on the 2024 ballot or sooner that would create an independent redistricting commission. m. UPDATED: October 21, 2022 at 5:20 a. That’s a huge increase over 2019 when there were about 40,000 vacant homes, and nearly triple the rate in 2013, when there were only 26,000 vacant homes.m. When people register to vote in Arizona or update their registration, an election system queries driver's license records to verify whether the person has proven their citizenship. In every California election, voters are asked to approve ballot measures proposed by local officials.S. But the partisan description on the ballots misleads voters about what the measures would do, how they would raise government spending and increase taxes. The panel's recommended lines, however, are then submitted to the City Council, which makes the final determinations on the district boundaries. While their subject matter may be wide-ranging, all ballot measures have one thing in common: a 75-word-maximum ballot question — a question required by law to be accurate and impartial. San Francisco could lose millions by missing key housing deadline The City risks losing affordable housing funds and control over land-use decisions “In a city where the cost of housing is out of reach for most working people, and with thousands of homeless people living on our streets, it is immoral and inhumane to have tens of thousands of homes sitting empty,” said Supervisor Dean Preston, who introduced the vacant homes tax. She did not provide a breakdown of their party affiliation or describe the characteristics that led to problems. A 2021 Alameda County Grand Jury report , “The Need for Accuracy and Impartiality of Ballot Measure Questions,” should be particularly important this time of year. As compared to state measures, the wording of local ballot measures does not require approval by anyone other than the jurisdiction desiring it to pass, a group that isn’t impartial.” However, the new data, like all U. Many voters do not read the pro and con arguments found in the voters’ handbook. Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that Arizona cannot require documentary proof of citizenship for people to vote in national elections. Instead, they decide from the words that appear on the ballot alone. Census vacant home information, comes with a big asterisk. Both Raman and Krekorian expressed frustration at Tuesday's meeting that it took nearly a year for the item to be heard, losing the opportunity for the issue to come before voters this year. The grand jury investigated how local governments’ ballot questions are prepared. The investigation focused exclusively on the accuracy, transparency and impartiality of ballot questions. That figure represents a snapshot in time: many of those homes are now occupied, and others have since become vacant. She said the database problem has been corrected. The grand jury found ballot questions suffer from a significant “proponent’s bias,” which falls short of the expected transparency and impartiality. For example, tax increase measures regularly tout popular public benefits such as improving roads, police or homelessness. Relatively few of those 61,000 homes would likely be subject to the vacancy tax on the November ballot. But such benefits are not actually contained in the official ordinance raising the tax.'' The council's decision Tuesday came alongside City Attorney Mike Feuer's proposal for the council to hold a special election next spring that would create new council maps prior to the 2024 election. The money could be spent elsewhere. This figure is illustrative of the pandemic-era exodus from The City, and the way in which housing vacancies can help improve affordability. Or they state the tax in a purposely obscure way. Or they exaggerate the benefits and gloss over the costs. Nonetheless, San Francisco is a clear outlier when it comes to vacant homes. Sometimes just the amount of the specific tax increase is cited, but the existing rate, to which the new tax will be added, is not mentioned. Just one current example from the upcoming November election is Livermore School District’s Measure G. San Francisco also has the highest share of vacant homes in the “seasonal and recreational use” category — the pieds-à-terre that the November tax measure targets. Latinos represent less than one-third of the council districts despite making up half of the city's population. It says the tax would only cost 6 cents per $100 of assessed valuation (tax rates should be expressed in dollars per $100,000 of valuation). Few would know how to figure what this means during the few minutes most spend voting. More than one third of this category, or about 7,000 units, were listed as under repair. But that tax increase would cost $600 a year for a house assessed at $1 million. The grand jury believed voters deserve better ballot questions. “That would suggest it’s probably a permitting issue,” Owens said. It initially proposed that the Alameda County Board of Supervisors create an advisory panel to review ballot questions for truthfulness and impartiality.'' "But if you push a whack map you're going to end up with a f--- disaster on the council,'' Martinez said. However, the board refused to follow the grand jury’s recommendation.” Proposition M would levy a tax on homes vacant for more than six months of the year, with the tax increasing based on the square footage of the property and the number of years it has been vacant. (The grand jury identified the board as an offender in presenting deceptive ballot language to the voters). The grand jury found that such a review panel and process would improve the transparency and completeness of ballot questions while working within the tight timelines required for ballot submissions. Preston says that provision was included in order to avoid provoking opposition from the real estate industry. The results would not be legally binding but would function more like the popular Yelp ratings that the public is familiar with. Given the inherent bias of the current process, which is to promote voter approval, this issue won’t fix itself. The tax is estimated to impact approximately 4,000 units, according to a report from the city controller published in September and based on vacancy data from 2020. She's not our ally. No checks exist on how local governments write ballot questions. Because most ballot questions are drafted by the city attorney, whose livelihood depends on pleasing that same city, their objective review is unlikely. About 3,000 homeowners are estimated to pay the tax, generating about $15 million per year for affordable housing by 2026. This should be changed to require a truly independent analysis of the 75-word ballot language. The League of Women Voters, Taxpayers Association, East Bay Times and other local newspapers have applauded the grand jury report and favor its implementation. What Eadweard Muybridge's 1878 panorama reveals about San Francisco The 19-foot-long work showing San Francisco before the devastating 1906 earthquake and fire is on view at the Society of California Pioneers in the Presidio. An independent body is sorely needed. "I told her that's not happening,'' Martinez said. Is there a civic group or elected official in Alameda County that can lead this effort? Janet Clark and Michael Henn are members of the Alameda County Grand Jury Association, a nonprofit organization of former members of the grand jury. Click below to get started. Related Articles .