El Paso County Commissioner Peggy Littleton said she set out to prove herself wrong in thinking that voters want another chance to decide whether to extend terms for the five commissioners and other elected county officials.
“I wanted to stand by my colleagues in thinking that people were not confused and understood what they were voting for and were happy with the vote and did not want to do it over.
“I found quite the opposite,” she said Wednesday.
Littleton has been handing out informal surveys she designed at political events she has attended recently. The survey asks respondents whether they thought last November’s ballot question was asking them to reduce or limit the terms or extend the terms from two to three, and whether they want to see the question worded differently and put to a revote on this November’s ballot.
The results of the unscientific, anonymous survey show that the majority of respondents want it back on the ballot, even if they knew they were voting to extend term limits, she said.
“People are concerned,” Littleton said. “They want a revote and they want to do it quickly.”
Littleton said voters also are indicating that they don’t want two commissioners who could run for a third term next year “grandfathered in,” and be allowed to run for a third term. Commissioners tossed around that option last week.
Littleton said she will hand out the surveys at a sixth event she’s attending Wednesday night and announce the results at Thursday’s board meeting, when commissioners are expected to decide whether to send the issue back to the ballot. Voters approved term extensions for the offices last fall by more than 60 percent but some say the question was unclear and misleading.
“I can’t say they had ill intentions,” Littleton said. “Butu the truth is not what is but what one perceives it to be, and the perception is people thought they were deceived. We need to take a bold stand as leaders to squelch and put to bed that particular thought.”
Two other local polls have been conducted on the term limits issue. A KVOR radio poll showed 69 percent of 755 respondents want a reworded question on the ballot, and 65 percent said they would support a revote even if El Paso County would bear some of the cost.
Thursday’s meeting starts at 9 a.m. at the county office building at 27 E. Vermijo Ave.
Results of Littleton’s first five event surveys:
Sunrise Republican Women Meeting
Responses: 34
No, don’t put it back on ballot: 3
Yes, put it back on ballot: 29
Undecided: 2
Of the 29 who want it back on the ballot, 14 said they understood the question was to extend term limits, 15 said they thought they had voted to reduce term limits
El Paso County Republican Women’s Picnic
Responses: 52
No, don’t put it back on ballot, 12
Yes, put it back on ballot: 37
Undecided: 3
Of the 37 who want it back on the ballot, 18 said they understood the question was to extend term limits, 19 thought they had voted to reduce term limits
Republican Meet-Up
Responses: 16
No, don’t put it back on ballot: 5
Yes, put it back on ballot: 11
Undecided: 0
Of the 11 who want it back on the ballot, 5 said they understood the question was to extend term limits, 6 thought they had voted to reduce term limits
Liberty on the Rocks Event
Responses: 22
No, don’t put it back on ballot: 2
Yes, put it back on ballot: 19
Undecided: 1
Of the 19 who want it back on the ballot, 6 said they understood the question was to extend term limits, 13 thought they had voted to reduce term limits
Pikes Peak Economics Club
Responses: 23
No, don’t put it back on ballot: 2
Yes, put it back on ballot: 20
Undecided: 1
Of the 37 who want it back on the ballot, 10 said they understood the question was to extend term limits, 13 thought they had voted to reduce term limits
This group also was asked if commissioners should be grandfathered in; 21 said no, 1 said yes.
