{"id":171520,"date":"2010-01-12T14:12:15","date_gmt":"2010-01-12T19:12:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seattletimes.nwsource.com\/html\/northwestvoices\/2010772746_releasingpetitionsignersnames.html?syndication=rss"},"modified":"2010-01-12T14:12:15","modified_gmt":"2010-01-12T19:12:15","slug":"releasing-petition-signers-names","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/171520","title":{"rendered":"Releasing petition-signers’ names"},"content":{"rendered":"

Doesn\u2019t support R-71, but keep names private<\/strong><\/p>\n

I take exception to the editorial opinion supporting the public disclosure of petition-signers\u2019 names [\u201cPass bill to make names of petition signers public,\u201d Opinion, Jan. 10]. The editorial reminds us that voters have historically insisted that government documents are public unless specifically exempted \u2014 a concept that I heartily endorse. However, I believe a compelling case can be made to exempt ballot petitions.<\/p>\n

The recent case that brought the debate to the forefront \u2014 the call for public disclosure of R-71 signers \u2014 supports my opinion. The movement to make the petition-signers\u2019 names public was clearly motivated by a desire to harass and shame the signers. Just imagine the ways that harassment might take place.<\/p>\n

While I personally disagree with the intent of that particular referendum, I believe that the inevitable rise in the instances of negative consequences when someone expresses his or her opinion on a public petition will significantly diminish the quality of the right to initiative currently enjoyed by the voter.<\/p>\n

Though it may not achieve the level of the sanctity of the private ballot, the freedom \u2014 without harassment \u2014 to express your opinion on laws that govern you, ought to be on par. Both the right to disagree and the concept of civil discourse will be reaffirmed and enhanced by the Legislature shelving Rep. Reuven Carlyle\u2019s bill. Instead, clear legislation protecting the right to a private opinion should be enacted.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Bruce Northey, Bellevue<\/em><\/p>\n

Supports R-71, and still keeping names private<\/strong><\/p>\n

In response to Sunday\u2019s editorial urging passage of a bill to make initiative petition-signers\u2019 names public, I believe you missed the most salient issue and landed on the wrong side.<\/p>\n

Even as a proponent of the domestic-partnership movement that sparked this bill, I think this is less an issue of government transparency than of the secret ballot, which is an integral part of the petition.<\/p>\n

I have been a victim of reprisals from an electoral process that did not protect my secret ballot and it is really easy for me to see how this principle became part of the democratic process. We tend to let human rights slide when they conflict with our personal goals and we usually live to regret when we feel the bites on our backside.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Harold Pettus, Everett<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Doesn\u2019t support R-71, but keep names private I take exception to the editorial opinion supporting the public disclosure of petition-signers\u2019 names [\u201cPass bill to make names of petition signers public,\u201d Opinion, Jan. 10]. The editorial reminds us that voters have historically insisted that government documents are public unless specifically exempted \u2014 a concept that I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-171520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171520\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}