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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Matter of Opinion

Talk about paperwork

Good ol' Dave Ammons, veteran AP newsman turned flack for the Secretary of State. His blog is full of interesting tidbits, including the following, as stolen by me:

Sponsors of Referendum 71, the attempt to overturn legislation expanding domestic partner benefits, have had to design their petition like a fold up roadmap in order to comply with the law.

Because Senate Bill 5688 affected so many areas of state law where the rights and privileges of married couples are spelled out, it ran to 114 pages of text. By law, referendum petitions have to include every last word. By law, the petition has to be "readable" and on one sheet of paper.

The result, a document that unfolds to two feet by three feet and is printed in six-point type, which is hardly larger than agate.

Who wants to bet that anyone -- ANYone -- will read the whole thing before deciding whether to sign?



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