The League of Women Voters has asked me to speak at two forums in the coming weeks as “the opponent” to this referendum (because of my Sept. 2006 Chapel Hill News column “All Quiet on the Election Front”).

Moses Carey will argue for the referendum and I’m supposed to do 5 minutes on my opposition. Of course, I don’t have either the gravitas or the months of background Moses brings to this issue so it’ll be a bit of David and Goliath.

I’m trying to bend my schedule so I can make at least the first forum. More when I know.

Until then, here’s a press release (via Mark Peters and SqueezeThePulp) on the initial education efforts:

October 11, 2006

With upcoming discussions on the District Election Referendum, a web page has been created on the Orange County website to provide basic information. You may wish to consider this as a research source.

The page contains links to the following:
– Simplified wording of the issue
– Questions and Answers
– Maps
– Links to sample ballots (for the exact wording of the referendum)
– Information on educational sessions

The page can be found under “What’s New” from the main Orange County web page or the link below.

http://www.co.orange.nc.us/OCCLERKS/DistElectWeb.htm

This link will be updated as additional information arrives.

Within the next week, brochures with much of the same information will be distributed to many public locations.