We’re coming down to the final days of the 2019 Idaho Legislative Session, yet Idaho lawmakers are intent on dismantling our constitutional right to govern as “We the People.”
SB 1159aa and its trailer bill HB 296 are headed to the Governor’s office. Tell Governor Little to honor the will of the people and veto these heinous bills aimed at silencing the voice and vote of Idahoans.
Under SB 1159aa, the ballot initiative process is set to become the strictest in the United States by ensuring the requirements make it nearly impossible for grassroots efforts and every day Idahoans to get policy issues before the voters. SB 1159aa would require petititon gatherers to collect signatures from 10% percent of registered voters from 32 out of 35 legislative districts in Idaho within 180 days. That means your voice and your vote could be valued less, especially if you live in a more populated district where it will take many more signatures to qualify an initiative for the ballot. This is undemocratic.
HB 296, billed as a "compromise" to the onerous burdens proposed in SB 1159aa, it does nothing to ensure that Idahoans would have meaningful access to the ballot initiative process under the Idaho Constitution. Under HB 296, petition gatherers would have to collect signatures from 10% of registered voters from two-thirds of Idaho's legislative districts within in 270 days. This bill still creates constitutional problems under the First and Fourteenth Amendments and will continue to ensure that Idaho has one of the strictest ballot initiative processes in the country.
These bills have moved very quickly and are now headed to the governor’s office. Call and email Governor Brad Little today and tell him to veto Senate Bill 1159 & HB 296!
Idahoans worked hard last November to bring several critical issues to the ballot for a vote. It took months of planning, organizing, and signature gathering. That was democracy in action. The Supreme Court understands the importance of this action and as a result, the petition circulation process is “an area in which the importance of First Amendment Protections is at its zenith.”
Don’t let our lawmakers silence your vote and your power.
Contact Governor Little Today. Tell him to veto SB 1159 & trailer bill HB 296 to protect our voice and our vote.