Sen. Kissel Joins Call for Amending the State Constitution

Yes vote on 2008 ballot question would open door for “Initiative & Referendum” in Connecticut

State Senator John A. Kissel, R-Enfield, today joined a bi-partisan group of state leaders at a press conference in Hartford in support of the 2008 ballot question, “Shall the state Constitution be revised or amended?” The question, which will be on the November 4th election ballot, could result in the amending of the state Constitution for the 31st time to allow for the implementation of initiative-referenda in Connecticut.

Sen. Kissel said that the overall goal of initiative-referenda is to empower citizens in Connecticut to vote on issues that affect them by creating a vehicle to get certain issues of importance on the ballot. He said the first step in that process is to amend the state constitution, but in order to do so voters would need to vote “yes” on the 2008 ballot question.

“This initiative brings people into the political process by allowing them to express their opinions on very important issues,” said Sen. Kissel. “We see this on a local level where many towns put questions, such as municipal budgets, to the voters all the time. It works, and I think it makes government more accountable to the people.”

According to Sen. Kissel, Article 13, Sec. 2 of the Connecticut State Constitution requires a vote to establish a Constitutional Convention for the purposes of amending the Constitution every 20 years. Today’s press conference marks the official launch of the 2008 Connecticut Constitutional Convention Campaign. Connecticut is currently one of 19 states that do not have some form direct initiative legislation.

“The beauty of this campaign is that it is bipartisan, it has nothing to do with any one particular issue and that is why it has a wide range of support,” said Sen. Kissel. “The goal of this campaign is to convince voters to vote “yes” so that we can start the process of implementing this system that will increase the public’s involvement in their government.”

For more information regarding Connecticut’s Constitutional Campaign, go to www.ctconcon.com.