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Commission debates wording, data for amendments changing signature thresholds
Summary
Commissioners discussed whether to include specific signature counts and which election years to cite in ballot descriptions for proposed amendments that change signature thresholds; counsel was asked to tighten wording and cite specific elections if numbers are included.
Commissioners spent substantial time reviewing proposed ballot descriptions for amendments that would change how many signatures are required to qualify a charter amendment for the ballot. Commissioners said the draft language risked confusing voters by citing raw signature counts without specifying which election those counts referenced.
Several commissioners suggested striking the final sentence in a draft explanatory sentence that included absolute signature numbers and instead either remove the raw numbers or parenthetically cite the specific election and race used for the estimate (for example, labeling the numbers as based on the 2023 gubernatorial or 2024 county-executive races). County counsel said changing the phrasing to note the elections used for the calculation would meet the commissioners' request while keeping the concise explanation within the word limit required for a ballot title and concise statement.
Commissioners argued for two competing priorities: keep the concise ballot language short enough to meet the strict word-count limits, and give voters enough context to understand how the amendment would change signature thresholds. One commissioner proposed shifting the placement of the numeric detail—state the substantive change first (that the measure would reduce signature requirements) and then, if necessary, add a short parenthetical indicating the election(s) used for the estimate. Another commissioner recommended simply striking the numeric sentence from the concise statement and leaving figures for the longer explanatory statement in the voters' pamphlet.
County counsel said staff would revise the draft language to address the commissioners' concerns and to ensure that any numbers or years included cite specific elections or are moved to the explanatory statement as necessary. Counsel also warned that strict word limits for ballot titles and concise statements constrain how much numeric detail can be included on the ballot itself.
