2010 general election ballot: Too much for voters to handle?
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The Journal Record: It’s called ballot fatigue, and it can be the death knell for some issues if voters tired of reading a lengthy ballot choose to mark “no” on everything because they’re impatient. It’s a concern for some who see that the November 2010 general election ballot, more than a year away, is already laden with eight questions generated by legislators and at least one ballot initiative. Lawmakers and issue supporters can add to the list next year as well. The 2010 ballot may also feature a heavy flock of candidates for top-of-the ballot races, particularly in the contest to succeed Democratic Gov. Brad Henry, who will have served two consecutive terms. Oklahoma City attorney Lee Slater, secretary of the State Election Board from 1971-1988, has seen ballot fatigue in action. He said it is particularly noticeable on state-question ballots. “We had a classic example of that,” he said. On Thursday, Slater recalled one 10-question ballot that went down in flames in its entirety. The 1984 general election ballot presented voters with a hefty array of measures, some of which would have raised taxes or eliminated exemptions. Slater noticed that total voter numbers dropped appreciably on each succeeding question. Although all of the issues failed, the first on the ballot drew 15,579 votes more than the next-to-last proposal, which pulled in the fewest. In 1980, all eight state questions on the ballot failed.
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