Daily Archive
Stories Posted on June 15, 2008
Pair Propose ‘Juries’ to Aid Voters
Category: · State: · Source: Eugene Register-Guard
The jury — 12 ordinary citizens gathered to weigh the facts and determine a defendant’s guilt or innocence — has served Oregon’s legal system since statehood. Now, a political reform group wants juries to help Oregon voters judge ballot initiatives. A pair who met in graduate school at the University of Oregon, Tyrone Reitman and Elliot Shuford, have formed Healthy Democracy Oregon, which plans to recruit citizens of various ages, party affiliations, education levels and geographic regions to serve on a 24-member citizens’ jury this fall. According to their plan, the jurors will spend several days at Salem’s Chemeketa Community College studying and discussing a yet-to-be-selected initiative and issue their independent assessment and recommendation to voters.
Pair Propose ‘Juries’ to Aid Voters
Category: Bill Sizemore · State: Oregon · Source: Eugene Register-Guard
The jury — 12 ordinary citizens gathered to weigh the facts and determine a defendant’s guilt or innocence — has served Oregon’s legal system since statehood. Now, a political reform group wants juries to help Oregon voters judge ballot initiatives. A pair who met in graduate school at the University of Oregon, Tyrone Reitman and Elliot Shuford, have formed Healthy Democracy Oregon, which plans to recruit citizens of various ages, party affiliations, education levels and geographic regions to serve on a 24-member citizens’ jury this fall. According to their plan, the jurors will spend several days at Salem’s Chemeketa Community College studying and discussing a yet-to-be-selected initiative and issue their independent assessment and recommendation to voters.
Measure Would Limit Voters' Taxing Ability
Category: Taxes · State: Arizona · Source: The Arizona Republic
Backers of a proposed November ballot initiative hope to make it much more difficult for Arizona voters to raise taxes, fees or spending. The initiative would require support from a majority of all registered voters - including people who didn't show up at the polls - before a tax-raising initiative could become law. Under current law, the majority of people who vote is sufficient. The measure, known as Majority Rule, would amend the state Constitution to affect any initiative that "establishes, imposes or raises a tax, fee or other revenue, or mandates a spending obligation." "Voters in Arizona have a long history of agreeing with the concept that there should be a very high threshold for raising taxes or mandating spending increases," said Nathan Sproul, whose Tempe-based firm is managing the Majority Rule campaign.