POLL: Is the TSPLOST Ballot Preamble Biased?
The TSPLOST ballot preamble is being criticized for its possible bias. What do you think?
On July 31, voters in Cobb and the rest of the 10-county metropolitan region will cast their ballots on the Transportation Investment Act to decide whether to establish a one-cent special transportation sales tax on themselves to fund various transportation projects.
The phrasing of the ballot preamble has been criticized by some for being biased.
Larry Savage, who is running for Cobb County Chairman, feels the preamble to the ballot question, not the ballot itself, is an attempt to sway voters. Savage asserted this claim at a candidate forum sponsored by the Cobb Republican Women's Club.
According to the Marietta Daily Journal, to prove a point, Savage attempted to show the audience a mock ballet which extolled his virtues, but this measure was disallowed by the moderator.
“The ballot that I was going to show you has a statement added to it that says I’m the best candidate,” Savage said. “That wouldn’t be fair, and everybody knows that. But the real ballot has a statement added to it saying the TSPLOST is really a good thing.”
The ballot preamble states that the TSPLOST, “Provides for local transportation projects to create jobs and reduce traffic congestion with citizen oversight.”
What do you think? Is the preamble biased? Tell us in the comments below.
Ann Jones
6:46 pm on Monday, July 2, 2012
As a TSPLOST supporter I’m a little dismayed at your bias in reporting this issue. You know good and well that the issue is with the preamble to the ballot question and if you don’t know that then you should not be writing this article. This is the kind of bias that will turn people away from voting for TSPLOST. Please stop it! People want the perception of a fair vote and you make it look like we’re trying to pull the wool over the voter’s eyes.
Justin Ove
7:41 pm on Monday, July 2, 2012
Ms. Jones,
Thank you for catching this. It turns out that Mr. Savage (who we didn't even identify in the original story) was criticizing the preamble of the ballot, not the ballot question itself. I have corrected the article. Thanks for keeping us honest!
Best,
-Justin