SB1534

THE CONTEXT: Specifications regarding the form, manner and order of proposed constitutional amendments, initiatives and referendums (measures) on the ballot are prescribed in statute.

WHAT THE BILL DID: The final vetoed version would require Legislative Council to prepare the descriptive title for a measure that will appear on the ballot for an election and mandate the city or town's clerk or county officer in charge of election and the municipal attorney prepare the descriptive title for a city, town or county measure that will appear on the ballot for an election.

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to turn the Legislature's standard for ballot measures into an enforceable rule. It would require Legislative Council to prepare the descriptive title for a measure that will appear on the ballot for an election, and would also mandate the city or town's clerk or county officer in charge of election and the municipal attorney prepare the descriptive title for a city, town or county measure that will appear on the ballot for an election, rather than leave the current rule unchanged.