Long Beach’s upcoming medpot ballot initiative—Measure A, or the General Tax on Marijuana Sales—appeared to have a major omission on the sample ballot booklets: the names of the authors who wrote the for and against arguments.
Left out of the English-language sample ballot mailed to voters last week were the biographies of Ms. Jina Nam, Esq., Attorney for the Long Beach Collective Association, who wrote the favorable argument and Long Beach resident Larry King, who authored the dissenting argument and its rebuttal.
“The omission came to my attention on March 10, and it is my job to take responsibility for the mistake and make sure that voters are alerted of the omission,” said City Clerk Larry Herrera. “I have also brought this omission to the attention of Ms. Nam and Mr. King. The integrity of our municipal elections and the rights of voters require full transparency and accountability from my point of view.”
The omissions are important, as names also provide the organizations, if any, associated with those writing the arguments.
While the foreign language sample ballot booklets—those in Khmer, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese—were also incorrect, they have not been mailed out yet; new versions are being printed to include Ms. Nam and Mr. King. English-language voters who have received their sample ballots are encouraged to view the correction versions.
For the fully corrected versions, visit www.longbeach.gov/elections, downloading the free “Vote Long Beach 2014” app now available in the App Store and coming soon to Google Play; or calling the City Clerk Department at 562-570-6101.