Ben Ysursa
Idaho’s Secretary of State will spend $130,000 on voter education pamphlets this fall after a measure to eliminate that expense died in a Senate committee.
A 2007 law requires mailing pamphlets to voters explaining proposed constitutional amendments before they go to the polling booth in November.
Secretary of State Ben Ysursa wanted to discard that requirement to save his office money in a tough budget year. But members of the Senate State Affairs Committee killed the bill on Wednesday, saying voters need the printed information to make considered decisions.
The House passed the measure last month.
Ysursa’s office will also print information on proposed constitutional changes in every newspaper in Idaho, as required by the state’s constitution. Lewiston Republican Sen. Joe Stegner said only using that means to inform voters could leave many in the dark. (AP)
