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2002 Governor Race
Pawlenty, Pentel Support Voter Rights; Moe Opposes; Penny Flip-Flops
While the support of the governor is not necessary to pass a constitutional amendment, it is enormously helpful. When Initiative & Referendum passes through the legislature, the amendment will not go to the governor for his signature, instead it will be sent directly to the people to be voted on in a statewide referendum. Nonetheless, the governor can play a vital role in pushing I&R through the legislature by speaking out forcefully in favor of this critical reform, urging legislators to act and citizens to contact their legislators. The governor can also speak out for the wisdom of the public against opposition from special interests. Two of the four candidates for governor -- Republican Tim Pawlenty and Green Ken Pentel -- support the people's right to decide the issues that affect their lives through a statewide initiative & referendum process similar to what most home-rule cities in our state currently enjoy.
Additional information on each candidate's stand regarding citizen initiative & referendum is below. Tim Pawlenty Republican Party A government by the people is essential to a true representative government; Initiative and Referendum is the purest form of government by the people. Initiative and Referendum allows citizens to directly affect government policies. ODN: The Republican platform contains an item that would make Minnesota an initiative and referendum state. Address the concerns about anti-hunters using I&R to flood the ballot with anti-hunting initiatives.Pawlenty: "This is an issue about the form of government in Minnesota. People should have the right to vote on these matters. If the politicians aren't doing their job, it gives the people a safety valve. In democracy, we shouldn't be afraid of the people. Is the process sometimes long and difficult? Yes, but so was the Constitutional Convention. Democracy is not pretty. It's often long and difficult, but it works and that's why I support it here. As far as safeguards, in states where I&R is wide open, yeah, you get some goofy stuff on the ballot. We've tried to learn from other states, so the Minnesota legislation has minimum thresholds for the numbers of signatures, and it requires regional distribution from where those signatures come from, so you can't just walk around Minneapolis and get the signatures to put something on the ballot. Hunters and anglers should also remember in recent constitutional amendments that sporting issues have passed overwhelmingly - hunting and fishing amendment as well as the Environmental Trust Fund here in Minnesota." Ken Pentel Green Party Roger Moe Democrat-Farmer-Labor Party "The challenge to be well-informed can become daunting when you add a dozen or so initiative and referendum questions demanding intelligent decisions from the voters." "Initiative and referendum give legislators an easy out. Lawmakers realize they don't have to tackle some difficult issues if they feel an effort will be made to get a law proposed via the ballot, or if a referendum is available to remove an unpopular law already on the books." "Invariably, legislative responsibility and responsiveness suffer when initiative and referendum becomes a factor in the lawmaking process."All quotes from opinion column by Roger Moe in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, March 18, 1999, entitled, "NO: It's a facile, dangerous 'solution' to complex endeavor of lawmaking." Tim Penny Independence Party Answer from Penny: "I would not promote that. The governor wouldn't sign off on that, but if it did advance in the Legislature, I would at least urge that it would be contained that no more than a couple of initiatives could be on the ballot at any given time and that these would have to be pre-approved by the Legislature, too." |
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