Shocked!

[lsanderson]

In a Strib commentary, Myron Orfield and William McGeveran swat down interpretations that suggest the secretary of state has no role in titling ballot measures: “Supporters of two state constitutional amendments up for a vote this November object to the ballot titles that Secretary of State Mark Richie has chosen. They've sued to overturn them. At the same time, Sen. Scott Newman, R-Hutchinson, declared that Ritchie had ‘thrown the Constitution and established case law out the window to serve his political interests’ (‘Ritchie's rewording is out of bounds,’ July 19). Actually, our state's Constitution does provide quite a clear answer in this dispute — but it's not the answer amendment supporters want to hear. … A Minnesota law, first enacted in 1919, says, ‘The secretary of state shall provide an appropriate title’ for every question on the ballot. (Notice that's ‘shall,’ not ‘may’ — and that it's ‘appropriate,’ not ‘whatever the proposal's boosters prefer.’)” Color me Shocked!

Comments

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

Seems right. However, a law first enacted in 1919 is not actually our state's Constitution, so that part seems to be wrong.