In a session of the Legislative Council earlier this month, state Sen. Ellen Roberts, R-Durango, distinguished herself as honest and courageous. Roberts rightly objected to – and cast the sole vote against – what certainly looked like an attempt to affect voting on a ballot measure by altering language in the Blue Book, the ballot information guide offered all voters.
Altering the ballot language was a bipartisan effort. But the Legislative Council’s work is supposed to be nonpartisan. And in this case, it was clear that the ballot measure in question was unpopular with both parties.
But as Roberts correctly pointed out, weighing the merits of ballot measures is not the party leadership’s job.
“If people don’t like, if party leaders don’t like it, go out and campaign against it,” she said. “But don’t mess with the Blue Book.”
On the ballot as Proposition 108, the measure in question would open primary elections to unaffiliated voters and provide them a ballot listing both Democratic and Republican candidates. But they could only vote in one party’s primary. And if they mistakenly voted for one or more candidates in both parties their ballots would be “spoiled” and not count.
Proponents say fewer than 1 percent of the ballots would be spoiled. But the Legislative Council approved changing Blue Book language to warn voters that as many as 9 percent of ballots would likely be spoiled. That was later lowered to 7 percent, but still looks like the council has its thumb on the scale.
Lawmakers also deleted a passage in the “arguments for” section that said, “Opening the primary election to more voters has the potential to increase voter turnout.” That complaint is also understandable. “Has the potential” is hardly the same as “will.”
“What seemed to happen in committee is people started to argue the merits of the initiative,” Roberts said, “and that isn’t the role of the committee.”
Arguing the wisdom of Proposition 108 is for another day. For now, it is enough to recognize that Ellen Roberts cares about the integrity of the electoral process and is willing to defend it.
