I would like to respond to Linda Sorauf’s letter to the editor (“Paid signature gatherers and narrow partisan funding is not a citizen-led movement” published Aug. 6 in the Summit Daily News) disputing the grassroots nature of the Coloradans Vote petition.
As a volunteer circulator of the petition, I would like to share my experience. Each petition was accompanied by several information sheets regarding the do’s and don’ts, a copy of the original legislation the referendum would like to address (Senate Bill 19-042 The National Popular Vote), a letter outlining the intention of the petition, volunteer circulator name badges and instructions regarding witnessing signatures. A page on the Colorado Secretary of State’s website has the same information about referendum petitions protocol as each petition packet.
If Sorauf encountered a paid circulator, they should have been identified by a name badge stating such. It is not illegal to hire paid circulators, but my experience was as a volunteer. If someone signed not understanding the purpose of the petition, they will have a chance to rectify their mistake in the 2020 election.
In all, Coloradans Vote did a great job educating circulators to collect signatures in a legal manner for submission to the Secretary of State for certification. This is not a partisan issue: It’s a state’s rights issue. There is nothing extremist about it. All the petition promotes is a chance for all Coloradans to have an opportunity to decide in 2020 how we want our electoral votes to be counted. Personally, I believe the Electoral College method of electing the president guarantees the whole country has a voice, not just the big states.