To the Editor:

Recent newspaper stories have provided information about the six proposed amendments to the state constitution. We would like to share why we will be voting against all of the six amendments. 

We quote the State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement for the titles to each proposed amendment. 

1. “Right to hunt and fish:” The people currently have the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife. But if this amendment passes, it could deny private property owners’ rights to forbid hunting on their land, among other unintended consequences. 

2. “Changes to current victims’ rights:” This is a California billionaire’s campaign that would delay justice and cost tens of millions of our tax dollars per year to implement. If there are changes needed in current legal protections, a more appropriate way is to enact laws, not constitutional amendments. 

3. “Cap maximum state income tax at 7%:” This is a gift to the rich. If this passes, in some future emergency the only way to raise revenue to meet the emergency will be to tax working men and women through increased property and sales taxes. 

4. “Require photographic identification to vote:” A thinly veiled bypass to allow the legislature to enact whatever voting eligibility laws it desires. Our legislature has an ongoing, proven track record of passing unconstitutional voter suppression laws — this amendment could not only deny many students, disabled, veteran, and elderly voters the right to continue voting but also cost all taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. 

5. “Legislature to control judicial appointments:” Why would we turn over one branch of the government (the judicial) to another (the legislature)? That is what this amendment would do, while bringing us one step closer to ending voters’ rights to elect judges. 

6. “Party leaders in legislature to control ethics and elections board appointments; eliminate nonpartisan representation on board:” North Carolina already has a nine-member, bi-partisan state elections board. This amendment would reduce it to eight members (four from each party) and thereby create gridlock, while allowing legislators to change the constitution with impunity. A prior version of this law was declared unconstitutional by North Carolina’s Supreme Court. 

These are the reasons we are voting against all amendments: either “it’s not broke, so don’t fix it” (the hunting/fishing amendment), “it’ll make things worse while not fixing what’s wrong” (the victim’s rights amendment), or “it’s destroying our balanced government” (amendments 3 – 6).  We’d rather see government work more efficiently and not waste our tax dollars.

Lynn and Carol Hogue

Bryson City