Urgent action: Help fix the voter guide
By Mason Tvert
In Colorado, citizens rely on the state voter guide to make informed choices on how to vote in elections.
But if we don’t act right now, the voter guide will be sent to two million voters with a biased summary of the pros and cons of Amendment 64, the initiative to regulate marijuana like alcohol.
The Yes on Amendment 64 campaign will have an argument consisting of 208 words. The No campaign? 366 words — over 75% more than the Yes side!
How could this happen? Because on September 5, in what the evidence clearly suggests was a misunderstanding, the Colorado Legislative Council Committee mistakenly removed three of the best Yes on 64 arguments without the knowing support of two-thirds of the committee required to modify the final draft of the voter guide. These arguments were that:
- Marijuana is objectively less harmful than alcohol.
- The consequences of a marijuana offense are too severe.
- Law enforcement resources would be better spent on more serious crimes.
The Director of the Colorado Legislative Council Committee, Mike Mauer, has the power to unilaterally re-insert these crucial arguments into the voter guide — but he only has until Wednesday at 1:30 PM MT. That’s why we’ve got to do everything we can, right now, to convince Mr. Mauer to fix the voter guide.
This morning, the Denver Post ran an editorial stating the committee erred and calling their work “clumsy.” Now, it’s time to put the pressure on Mike Mauer to fix this egregious mistake.
Message From The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol
