Citizens in Charge

As we mentioned last week on our website and on this blog, Utah’s Governor recently signed a bill that outlaws using electronically collected signatures in a petition campaign.

Utah State University students were also upset at the governor for signing the bill into law, but for slightly different reasons than we here at Citizens in Charge were:

Utah State University students are taking advantage of the special legislative session at the State Capitol on Friday to present Gov. Gary Herbert with the “Green Hole” award.

The award, a wreath made out of recyclable materials, will be given to the governor because he signed into law Senate Bill 165, which bans use of electronic signatures to qualify initiatives, referendums and candidates for the ballot. House Bill 477 referendum petitioners have said that as a result of SB165, they have printed thousands of packets of signature sheets.

“The first thing that popped into my head was how much paper was being used,” said USU student Lisa Tobias. “It really concerned me. I felt I could make a difference and create all of these figures and present this award … to show how much paper is being used when he (Herbert) could do this electronically.”

Of the 6,000 signature sheets printed, each petition packet has 50 pages, which equals a total of 3,000 pounds of paper - the equivalent of 39 trees, according to Tobias.

The rally is being held by individual students, but Tobias said she likes to think of the students as, “GRAMA’s grandkids” - a play on the open records law (Government Records Access and Management Act) that had been in use for almost 20 years in Utah; that is, until HB477 was signed into law.

Alternate headline? “Governor Bans E-Signatures - Women, Children…and Trees Hardest Hit”