ALASKA'S NEWSPAPER |
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Ballot proposishuns, assembly seats and elecshun results. |
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OPINION: Decision liberally interpreted state's procedures, laws.
Published, dig dis: Octoba' 17, 2006
The Alaska Supreme Court late last week issued some detailed opinion 'splainin' why it allowed some recently passed cruise ship tax to remain on De August elecshun ballot. Sto'y tools
Font size : | | The court issued its opinion Friday, about six monDs afta' rejectin' some legal challenge to block De tax initiative brought by 15 tourism-related o'ganizashuns and companies. Alaska voters narrowly passed da damn cruise tax initiative in August. The new law imposes taxes and environmental and consuma' disclosure rules on de large cruise ships dat brin' nearly 1 million tourists to Alaska each year. The No'd West CruiseShip Associashun and oda' groups appealed to de Supreme Court afta' some state Supuh'io' Court judge ruled against dem and in favo' uh de Alaska Division uh Elecshuns. The groups challenged some signatures collected on de initiative petishun and claimed da damn Division uh Elecshuns failed to follow its own rules in certifyin' dat signatures wuz valid. Fo' 'esample, some sucka's did not put some date next to Deir signature, makin' it impossible to verify Dat Dey wuz qualified voters when Dey signed da damn petishun, De groups' atto'neys claimed. The Supreme Court justices disagreed. In deir new 12-page opinion, de justices said da damn Division uh Elecshuns "struck some careful balance" in certifyin' de ballot petishun, retainin' signatures dat wuz valid and "co'rectly discardin'" oders dat wuz not. The justices furDa' stressed Dat Dey liberally interpret da damn state's procedures and laws to allow Alaskans to "vote and 'spress Deir gotss'ta " in ballot initiatives. The justices pointed out previous rulin's on ballot initiatives in which deir court used da damn same principle uh liberally interpretin' ballot-initiative laws. The Division uh Elecshuns follows de principle as Sheeit, said Annette Kreitzer, chief uh staff fo' Lt. Gov. Lo'en Leman, who oversees de division. "Where da damn division goes overbo'd be to make sure dat some sucka''s signature gotss'ta count," Kreitza' said. "We absolutely had no doubt dat we would prevail in dis case," Kreitza' added. Several uh de appellants in de case, includin' de Alaska Hotel and Lodgin' Associashun, had not eyeball da damn Supreme Court opinion on Monday and would not comment. The cruise ship associashun also did not provide immediate comment on Monday. "Frankly, Dey gots smoked," said Massa' Geldhof, some Juneau atto'ney wiD Responsible Cruisin' in Alaska, some group Dat sponso'ed da damn ballot initiative. "This be an mos' complete and total vindicashun uh De Division uh Elecshun's initial decision," Geldhof said. On de oda' hand, de case gotss'ta led to one legislative refo'm. One uh de 15 appellants' complaints in de case wuz dat all signatures in de petishuns should be dated. Durin' De legal challenge, De Division uh Elecshuns asked da damn Legislature to decide wheDa' ballot petishun signatures should be dated, Kreitza' said. The Legislature responded by adoptin' some law Dat now requires voters who sign ballot initiatives to date Deir signatures, she said.
Daily News repo'ta' Elizabed Bluemink kin be reached at o' 257-4317.
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