Sandoval takes aim at democracy

“I forbid!” sounds like something a king would say, although we’ve heard a lot of that in Nevada lately as our governor exercises his veto power. This practice actually derives from the British crown when a king could forbid, or “veto” acts of Parliament.

A closer look at some of Governor Sandoval’s vetoes this year reveals a disturbing pattern of intellectual dishonesty, camouflaged by flowery veto messages using selective data that disintegrate upon even cursory examination.

A prime example of the Governor’s use of misleading information to rationalize his veto is the ward voting bill, affecting Reno, Sparks, Henderson and Carson City. These are the only local governments in Nevada still in violation of the U.S. Voting Rights Act, in not allowing citizens to choose their representatives by district or ward.

The Governor was quick to veto Senate Bill 304, for the second time in his term. In 2011, his veto message stated: “I do not veto this bill on the merits of ward elections. Rather, the bill contains what appears to be a technical error.” Legislative lawyers disagreed with his analysis of the “technical error,” but the bill was revised and submitted again this session.

In his 2013 veto message, the Governor went in a different direction: “If Senate Bill 457 were enacted, the bill would limit voters’ abilities to cast their vote in electing officials to make decisions for the good of the community as a whole.” He also noted the issue was placed on the Reno ballot last November as an advisory question and was soundly defeated by voters.

Curiously, the governor said the ballot question was “clearly stated” when nearly every news story about the Reno vote pointed out the city council chose to ignore the ballot language recommended by a diverse citizens committee the council had appointed precisely to vet the language after an earlier advisory question was cleverly written to ensure the measure failed. The question was so “clearly stated” that a local public radio reporter misinterpreted it in an on-air story during election season and advised people to vote opposite their intention. When corrected by a listener, the embarrassed reporter revised the story and rebroadcast it pointing out her own confusion about the “clearly stated” question.

Governor Sandoval continued his assault on voting rights with a veto of AB 440, a bill to extend voter registration deadlines, making it easier for people to vote. His veto message once again was rather insulting, stating that since only .002 percent of Nevada voters have complained about registration deadlines, there must not be a problem. The king has spoken.

Finally, he also vetoed SB 221, requiring universal background checks for gun purchases, after first creating an unnecessary drama that followed his repeatedly stating his intention to veto long before the bill was on his desk. He established an “opinion line” to gather feedback from the public and then provided almost daily totals of the calls to bolster his position, with opponents vastly outnumbering proponents. Reporters were quick to point out the absurdity of an opinion line so easily manipulated by outside forces since people could anonymously redial and “vote” as many times as they liked, rendering the data meaningless.

Nevadans deserve more from their Governor. We are not easily fooled by fake opinion polls and good old boy politics that ensure special interests can control city elections with their campaign cash. And we see through a governor who insists he wants more people to vote, but vetoes a bill that makes it easier to do so by implying voters who register late are scofflaws who don’t deserve their rights.

The bottom line is crystal clear. These vetoes ensure the present system, one that elected the Governor and his cronies, survives and thrives.

And that’s the power of the king.