Quote:
Originally Posted by cmj
Does anyone know who writes the language used on ballots?
No. 1 Declaration of Rights: Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to delete provisions authorizing the Legislature to regulate or prohibit the ownership, inheritance, disposition of real property by aliens ineligible for citizenship. If I vote "yes" does that mean I approve proposing the amendment?
No. 2 is worded very differently. Florida Marriage Protection Amendment: This amendment protects marriage as the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife and provides that on other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized. Then it adds (and this part made me wonder) The direct financial impact this amendment will have on state and local government revenues and expenditures cannot be determined, but is expected to be minor.
When I read it my thought was "someone wants a yes vote on this one - just by the way it's worded. Also, it's the only one that talks about "direct financial impact" on the state and local governments.
I'm not looking for an argument here, just enlightenment. In the last election I thought people may have been influenced to vote for an amendment to decrease their taxes not thinking about the impact it would have on fire and police protection as well as education. At the time I thought the wording was slanted to produce a yes vote. Who doesn't want to pay less in taxes?
I'm just wondering who writes these.
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A YES on Amendment 1 effectively repeals the Alien Land Act of 1926 which was a very discriminatory land-ownership ban. FL is one of the last states to continue such a ban on the books.
A YES vote on Amendment 2 defines
marriage as a union solely between a man and a woman, and provides the legal foundation for subsequent clarifications by legislation or regulation on same-sex unions in regards to employee benefits, intestacy or whatever else is a concern.
There has already been threads on both these issues on this board.