FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OCT. 5, 2006

CONTACT:           Julie Hauserman (850) 656-2498

CRIST, DAVIS BOTH OPPOSE AMENDMENT 3

TALLAHASSEE- In a victory for voters, both candidates for Florida governor have announced they oppose Amendment 3, a measure on the November ballot that would make it harder for citizens to decide important public policy issues at the ballot box.

Republican candidate Charlie Crist said he is against making it harder for voters to amend the Constitution. Amendment 3 – a proposal which is being backed by lobbyists for developers, Big Sugar, agribusiness, and large insurance companies - would mandate a supermajority of 1.5 million votes to pass citizen ballot initiatives, overturning the traditional majority vote now required.

"Never forget whose Constitution it is," Crist said, quoting former Democratic Gov. Reubin Askew, who said the Constitution is for the people.

Democratic candidate Jim Davis said Amendment 3 would take away the people’s voice.

“I don’t support that,” Davis told reporters. “I think voters should have the opportunity to decide by majority rule. It is a proposition fundamental to our democracy. I think it should be preserved. I certainly think there is abuse right now in the system, but it could be addressed in other ways without taking the right of the majority away.”

Amendment 3 is part of a broad effort by lobbyists and Tallahassee special interest groups to make it harder for Florida voters to use citizen petition initiatives to decide important policy issues. Throughout the years, voters have used this process to enact popular reforms opposed by politicians and special interests including: strengthening ethics and open records laws, limiting politician’s terms, reducing taxes, protecting sealife, boosting wages, prohibiting indoor smoking, and providing early childhood education.

Trust the Voters is a  nonpartisan coalition fighting to oppose Amendment 3 and protect citizen access to the ballot.

“The campaign against Amendment 3 is the people versus the special interests,” said former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, a co-chair of Trust the Voters. “The people have now been joined by the gubernatorial candidates – Republican Charlie Crist and Democrat Jim Davis. This underscores the importance and the nonpartisanship of the opposition to Amendment 3. We all trust the voters.”

Besides Graham, Trust the Voters co-chairs are: Republican businessman Charlie Hilton, chairman of the conservative James Madison Institute; and former Orlando Republican State Representative Bill Sublette, chairman of No Casinos, Inc.

###