Tampa Bay Tribune
September 28, 2012
TAMPA – Not everyone will be scratching their heads over the 11 constitutional amendments tacked onto the end of this November’s general election ballot.
“I’m a third-year law student. I think I have a shot,” quipped Josef Rosen of Tampa, perusing one of the amendments recently at a South Tampa coffee shop.
A legal eagle might indeed be able to decipher Amendment 4 — a 640-word tome on homestead exemptions and property tax breaks — and the 10 other amendments. But a casual survey of some Tampa voters suggests there’s going to be more than a little confusion if people head to the polls before they try to decipher what they’re voting on.
Presented with copies of the Division of Elections’ official amendment summaries, which are the language appearing on the ballot, voters from one corner of Tampa to the other reacted with confusion.
“This is gibberish,” said Kelli Campbell, trying to grasp Amendment 4 while wrapping up lunch with friends in Ybor City. Read the full article online here