Amendment 3 shuts down people's power to fix problems. Vote no.By BOB GRAHAM
Published October 15, 2006
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Now, an amendment on the November ballot threatens to take away your fundamental right to a government by, and for, the people. A group of big businesses is pushing this very bad constitutional amendment - Amendment 3 - to shut down the people's will.
If you believe in good government, I urge you to vote no on Amendment 3 and hold on to your rights to address problems that the Legislature won't. This is not a partisan issue - both candidates for governor oppose Amendment 3.
On the surface, Amendment 3 seems fairly benign. The title (written by Tallahassee lobbyists) says the measure will require broader public support for constitutional amendments. But don't let yourself be fooled by the slick title. The subtext of Amendment 3 is about one thing: power.
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Florida's constitutional amendments have always been approved by simple majority. Whichever side gets more than 50 percent wins. Amendment 3 requires an undemocratic supermajority of 60 percent to pass any future constitutional amendment. If a simple majority is good enough for politicians to get elected to office, it should be good enough for citizen initiatives. Our current constitution, the one we've had since 1968, passed by 55 percent.
If Amendment 3 is allowed to pass, Florida would be a guinea pig - the only state in the nation to require such a big hurdle for citizen initiatives. It's not fair.
I am part of a historic coalition of groups from the middle, left and right called Trust the Voters (trustthevoters.org). We are putting aside our political differences to make sure we don't lose our rights through Amendment 3.
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The corporations backing Amendment 3 know that they have enormous influence in the halls of the Legislature. That's why they are spending big bucks to stop citizens from providing the needed checks and balances on Tallahassee. Maybe they are afraid that their stranglehold on the Legislature would be broken again for such improvements as fairer property taxes, lower insurance rates or better schools for our children.
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I was in public office a long time, and I say, trust the voters.
The text of Amendment 3: NO. 3
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
ARTICLE XI, SECTION 5
Requiring Broader Public Support for Constitutional Amendments or Revisions
Proposes an amendment to Section 5 of Article XI of the State Constitution to require that any proposed amendment to or revision of the State Constitution, whether proposed by the Legislature, by initiative, or by any other method, must be approved by at least 60 percent of the voters of the state voting on the measure, rather than by a simple majority. This proposed amendment would not change the current requirement that a proposed constitutional amendment imposing a new state tax or fee be approved by at least 2/3 of the voters of the state voting in the election in which such an amendment is considered.
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