Op-ed: League of Women Voters opposes West Virginia amendments
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Charmaine Dotson, president of the League of Women Voters of Wood County, along with the League of Women Voters of West Virginia have chosen to oppose three of the four amendments on the upcoming ballot.
"Our role is to be nonpartisan and to base our support or opposition on issues for the betterment of our population, she stated. For this reason, we feel we must oppose three of the amendments. The lack of information we were able to gather did not allow those of us in Wood County to comfortably support or oppose amendment on the church incorporation."
Outlined below are the three amendments with our justification for opposition.
Our Positions on Proposed Constitutional Amendments
Amendment No. 1: Clarification of the Judiciary's Role in Impeachment Proceedings Summary of Purpose: "Clarifying that courts have no authority or jurisdiction to intercede or intervene in or interfere with impeachment proceedings of the House of Delegates or the Senate; and specifying that a judgment rendered by the Senate following an impeachment trial is not reviewable by any court of this state."
LWVWV OPPOSES AMENDMENT 1:
* LWVWV believes in the constitutional framework of three branches of government with its system of checks and balances.
* Amendment 1 would cut loose all future impeachment proceedings of the state legislature from constitutional restraint and/or protection.
* Amendment 1 could potentially deny a public official faced with impeachment their right to due process.
Amendment No. 2: Property Tax Modernization. Summary of Purpose: "To amend the State Constitution by providing the Legislature with authority to exempt tangible machinery and equipment personal property directly used in business activity and tangible inventory personal property directly used in business activity and personal property tax on motor vehicles from ad valorem property taxation by general law."
LWVWV OPPOSES AMENDMENT 2:
* Amendment 2 does not reduce taxes. Instead, it would give the Legislature control over taxes currently controlled by local governments and taxpayers.
* Schools, libraries, emergency services, law enforcement, and many other essential services could be harmed by tax changes possible under Amendment 2. Big businesses are most likely to benefit.
* LWVWV believes communities should be able to rely on stable, long-term sources of revenue. There are "promises" but no plan has been adopted to replace potential lost revenue for communities that could arise from Amendment 2.
* LWVWV supports a state tax system that relies on diverse sources of income and provides an adequate, stable yield.
* LWVWV opposes any tax reform or change that harms the state's or local governments' ability to provide necessary services.
Amendment No. 4: Education AccountabilitySummary of Purpose: "The purpose of this amendment is to clarify that the rules and policies promulgated by the State Board of Education, are subject to legislative review,approval, amendment, or rejection."
LWVWV OPPOSES AMENDMENT 4:
* This Amendment would make policies of the WV State Board of Education subject to review by the Legislature.
* General supervisory authority over the school system was added to the West Virginia Constitution by voters in 1958. LWVWV supported that change.
* Members of the State BOE are citizens from diverse backgrounds with expertise in education. The BOE is bipartisan with members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Legislature. They serve fixedterms and are protected from removal on political grounds, which provides stability.
* The BOE is able to respond to educational issues and make policy in a timely manner, whereas the Legislature meets infrequently and for short periods of time.
* Granting the Legislature authority over state education rules and policies will make our system of public education "less efficient, more chaotic, and subject to partisan politics." (WV BOE, 3/9/2022)
Amendment 3: Incorporation of Churches or Religious Denominations. LWVWV takes no position because we have not studied this issue, and therefore have no policy position.