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Friday, November 2, 2012

LEGALESE AND THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT « Teachers Fight Back

LEGALESE AND THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT « Teachers Fight Back:


LEGALESE AND THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT

Have you read the ENTIRE amendment proposal that is on the ballot in the state of Illinois ? Wow, what a bunch of legalese.  Do you understand all of what was written ? Leave it to legislators and lawyers to make something virtually impossible for the average person to understand.
The language that describes what is necessary for the amendment to pass is confusing enough and it would make a great topic for a junior high math and or social studies class. To be adopted, the amendment requires a “yes” vote from 60 percent of the people voting on the question OR a majority of people casting ballots in the election overall.
To explain that to students, let’s imagine that only 20 people vote in the entire election in Illinois. (You remember