County clerks worry Kansas ballot question could go overlooked
Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew is among county clerks concerned a constitutional amendment question could go overlooked in November.
The amendment would change the way lawmakers tax boat owners, and the question will take up the entire backside of the ballot.
Shew says voters should pay special attention to the explanation at the beginning of the question. If voters say yes to the question, it would allow the legislature to impose a tax specifically for watercraft. A no vote would mean there would be no change in the current law.
Douglas County resident Justin Hill is concerned because the question doesn’t say how much that tax would be.
“This might be that Kansas is trying to slide in to maybe raise a little bit more money for the state because Kansas is a pretty rural state with a lot of people going fishing…lot of people owning boats,” says Hill. “They could probably pick up a sizeable amount of tax money from that.”
Shew hopes voters take the time to educate themselves on the issues before they hit the polls Nov. 6. He says that will go a long way in alleviating those long lines.