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Show Arguments For the states on a level playing field. This amendment will be similar to the amendment Congress passed years ago to limit A Citizen's Movement Term Limitation is the most significant citizen's grassroots movement in America today. It is the most meaningful Congressional reform that can be accomplished this year. Runoff elections will make the Utah political system much more fair and open the process to citizens and politicians who are not just part of party establishments. But runoffs are not the President to eight years in office. Existing officeholders are grandfathered in the term limitation initiative because term limitation is not directed against any current officeholder, but is for Utah's future and for Americas future. Ytrte, YES for political candidates. Runoffs are for the people because they assure election by majority vote, protecting us from a candidate's possibly taking office with only 33.4 of the vote. Runoffs uphold the most basic ideals of the American political Please vote YES on the initiative to limit the terms of public officeholders and require election by majority vote. MERRILL COOK Leader of the Utah Ballot Initiative Drive for Term LimitationRunoff process. The Precedent Geotge Washington set the example for public officeholders when he voluntarily stepped down from the Presidency after two terms, or eight years, in spite of support for a third term. He did this because he wanted to set an example that government was to be run by citizens not professional officeholders or professional politicians. The opportunity for public service should be spread among as many citizens as possible. ous Rebuttal To Argument For Initiative A Utah created history this spring ( 1 994) becoming the only state to impose term limits through legislation. That is why the phrase eight more states, including Utah, are set to pass term limitation this November" is misleading. Utah already has a term limit law that meets Utah's needs. The initiative is a generic, poorly crafted law. For example, it exempts all present The Election Cycle Term limitation is the right way to begin the election cycle. Election officials should not accept filings for office from those who have already served eight years, or, for U.S. Senators, 2 years. Requiring election by majority vote is the right way to end the election cycle, making sure that every public officeholder takes office with the support of a majority incumbents from ever being subject to term limits. Passing this initiative wipes out Utah's good law and replaces it with a poorly drafted, unconstitutional law. It will be up to the courts to deal with problems caused by amending 1 electorate not a simple plurality. Those who oppose runoff elections have a vested interest in exercising political power without that power's being based on the will of a majority of the voting citizens. of the after the election renonexistent law and mandating run-of- fs sults are official and winners certified. Voting yes" gives Utah a weak term limit law that will be challenged in court. Voting no" reaffirms Utah's sound term limit statute. The proponents of the initiative ask you to provide the momentum to persuade Congress. In other words, send a message to Congress. Utah's initiative process gives voters the responsibility to enact law. That responsibility is too sacred to enact poorly written, unconstitutional law just to send Congress a Achieving Turnover It is veiy hard to unseat an incumbent even one who en constituents. Ninety-sevdoes not represent their percent of are members of Congress who run for No wonder. They get, on average, about $230,000 worth of free mailing during the election cycle. They use their $1.3 millionyear staffs to campaign for er-supported them. An incumbent automatically gets about S400.000 to 5500,000 from special interests and PACS. They get these advantages simply because they are in office. Our founding fathers envisioned turnover among public officeholders. The only practical way to achieve turnover is to have term limitataxpay- message. (1) The proposed initiative would: limit our U.S. senators and representatives without sisting that other states impose term limits; in- (2) propose a very costly, easily manipulated run-o-ff election designed to help tightly organized minorities to control the process; A National Movement (3) Seventeen states have already passed term limitation. Eight more states, including Utah, are set to pass term limitation this November. Success for term limitation at the ballot box will provide the momentum to persuade Congress to pass a Term Limitation Constitutional Amendment that will put all (4) bring costly law suits; and threaten Utah's sound law already enacted. tion. The risk is too great to replace Utah's law with a poor substitute. Rob W. Bishop, Speaker Utah House of Representatives 23 |