Gotta love how Republican legislators put, ah, regulations in your way – at least in South Dakota. This is from last year, but I can’t resist:<\/p>\n
In the lingo of South Dakota petition circulators, it\u2019s called the \u201cbeach-towel effect.\u201d<\/p>\n
The term describes the massive, folded-up sheets of paper that petition circulators carry as they gather signatures to put a\u00a0proposed law on the ballot.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Secretary of State\u2019s Office says<\/u><\/a>\u00a0the full text of a petition and its signature lines must be contained on a single sheet of paper. For complex proposals, those single sheets of paper may grow to several feet wide and tall.<\/p>\n
Now those sheets of paper might get even bigger. This winter, South Dakota\u2019s Legislature\u00a0passed a bill<\/u><\/a>\u00a0requiring the font size on petitions to be at least 14 points.<\/p>\n
Republican Sen. Al Novstrup, of Aberdeen, said the font on medical marijuana petitions last year\u00a0was too small. He estimated it was 6 points.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just unable to read it,\u201d Novstrup testified, \u201cand I would estimate that approximately half of South Dakotans were unable to read that particular font size.\u201d\u00a0[South Dakota Public Broadcasting<\/strong><\/a>]<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
So bloody well authorize multiple pages, Senator Novstrup! But seriously, you need to follow that link, above, to see what a petition looks like, as it’s carried around to citizens to sign.<\/p>\n
This’ll slow down those damn citizens and their citizen legislating, now won’t it?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gotta love how Republican legislators put, ah, regulations in your way – at least in South Dakota. This is from last year, but I can’t resist: In the lingo of South Dakota petition circulators, it\u2019s called the \u201cbeach-towel effect.\u201d The term describes the massive, folded-up sheets of paper that petition \u2026 Continue reading