On November 2nd you will have an opportunity to tell local, state, and federal politicians that you want a SAY in what impacts your quality of life. There are three important ballot amendments that the public placed on the 2010 ballot 4, 5, and 6. Clean Water Action is asking its members and supporters to just vote yes!

Amendment 4: Referred to as Florida Hometown Democracy -- Clean Water Action has been fighting at the local level for years to stop efforts to destroy our communities, jeopardize our water supply, and our environment with unwise development. Amendment 4 would even the playing field in the fight over smart growth.

Many well-financed special interest groups and politicians are fearful of Amendment 4 because they don't like the idea that the voting public would have a say in what happens in their own community. Amendment 4 is about public accountability and oversight on future development in our communities.

Amendment 4 is also a pocketbook issue. You pay taxes for essential services like police, fire, schools, roads, and water and new development puts a strain on those local services. If you believe you should have a real voice in development decisions affecting your community and not leave it up to the politicians and special interest high-priced lobbyists, then please vote yes on Amendment 4!

Amendments 5 and 6: Referred to as Fair Districts Florida -- Clean Water Action is part of a statewide coalition of real people and organizations that are standing up and saying it is time we change the rules so the public is put before politicians. After each census, select politicians go about the job of redrawing the boundaries of Florida's Congressional, state house and state senate districts. The original intent is that political districts should be drawn with some fairness to make sure every vote counts equally.

Unfortunately, the political party in power that controls the state legislature has a vested self-interest to making sure the lines are draw favorably for them as their goal is to protect their party's overall majority.

Our present system permits politicians to choose their voters instead of voters having a fair chance to choose their representatives. Legislators use sophisticated computers, voter registration data and past election returns to predict how particular voters will vote in the future. Then they choose which voters are most likely to vote for them and their party and place just enough of those voters in "safe" districts -- ones they are sure they can win. Those in charge also pack large numbers of unfavorable voters in into a few districts so the unfriendly voters will have a chance to win in fewer districts. The result is political gerrymandering.

Each district is rigged to accomplish a particular result. Districts are set up to be either Democratic or Republican and opposing party candidates do not have a chance. Only 7% of Florida's legislative elections are really competitive. Voters do not have a real choice in selecting their representatives because the elections are rigged before they even start. In fact, this is truly an incumbent protection plan!

Amendments 5 and 6 will change this! When adopted, the Florida Constitution will contain language that establishes clear standards for how the lines are drawn at for Federal and State political districts. In many cases, you won't have a city with multiple state representatives or districts that span from the Gulf to the Atlantic coast. The districts will be compact and representative of the population in that community.

Please support the Fair District Amendments 5 and 6! We need to even the playing field so that politicians can be held accountable!