Sec. of State Brewer Seeks Impartial Language for Marriage Amendment

Urges Attorney General to Leave “Politics” and “Spin” to the Campaigns

PHOENIX -- Secretary of State Jan Brewer today filed a legal complaint with the Maricopa County Superior Court regarding Arizona Attorney General Goddard’s continued overstepping of his authority over the 2008 ballot language. Brewer contends that Arizona law clearly establishes her responsibility to “prepare” the title and summary of each ballot measure. Yet with regard to this year’s Proposition 102 (the Marriage amendment), the Secretary’s efforts to follow the law and draft simple ballot language has been hijacked by the Attorney General’s office.

“The Attorney General is confined in his duties to simply approve or disapprove the Sec. of State’s language, yet instead he continues to draft and propose his own language, which is not among his duties under the law,” stated Secretary Brewer.

Sec. Brewer’s proposed language reads: “A yes vote shall have the affect of amending the Constitution to define marriage as a union of one man and one woman. A no vote shall have the effect of retaining the current laws regarding marriage.”

The Secretary of State noted that a similar – though not exact – measure put before the people on the 2006 ballot confused a portion of voters by attempting to explain the current state of the law in Arizona. Added Brewer, “It is much less confusing to ask voters the basic question as to whether or not they wish to define marriage in the Arizona Constitution as a union of one man and one woman.”

“My job is to prepare impartial and clear ballot language as it was referred to the ballot, to try and avoid confusion, and leave the politicking to the campaigns themselves,” stated Secretary Brewer. “In the end, I think we should check the political spin at the door and keep the ballot language impartial, simple and concise. I am confident that the court will order that my impartial language appear on the 2008 general election ballot”.

Of note, the Secretary of State worked for several weeks with the Attorney General without any disagreement over the language until the eleventh hour when politics appeared to “rear its ugly head,” according to Secretary Brewer. Added Sec. Brewer, “I am truly at a loss as to why the Attorney General insists on overstepping his authority and insisting on using language that favors one side of the debate on this issue.”

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