Voters Opt for Clarity in Issues

Growth-control initiatives dominated the Orange County news Tuesday. In Seal Beach, voters overwhelmingly rejected one that sought to control density and development. And in Superior Court, a judge refused to remove from the June 7 ballot the countywide slow-growth initiative covering the unincorporated county areas. That case is now before an appellate court.

Putting the merits of the measures aside, one problem they both posed was their wording. They were confusing. Instead of simple, direct language easily understood by voters, the measures contain legally questionable language and leave open to loose interpretation how they would actually work.

Opponents of the county growth measure contend that it sets standards so high they would choke off all construction. Proponents deny that. A court may eventually have to interpret the wording. And one of the co-authors of the Seal Beach initiative conceded that voters rejected it because it was too broad and confusing.

Some straight yes-or-no issues are better suited to the initiative process than more complex questions such as the management of growth. But the more complex the issue, the greater the need for clarity. Voters in Seal Beach gave initiative proponents everywhere a message in communications in Tuesday’s balloting. Some people vote on emotion, but most voters want more. They are not about to approve muddled measures they don’t understand.