Opinion ID: 2595388
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Catch Phrase

Text: It is well established that the use of catch phrases or slogans in the title, ballot title and submission clause, and summary should be carefully avoided by the Board. In re Amend Tabor No. 32, 908 P.2d 125, 130 (Colo.1995). This rule recognizes that the particular words chosen by the Title Board should not prejudice electors to vote for or against the proposed initiative merely by virtue of those words' appeal to emotion. See In re Ballot Title 1999-2000 # 215, 3 P.3d 11, 14 (Colo.2000). Catch phrases are words that work to a proposal's favor without contributing to voter understanding. By drawing attention to themselves and triggering a favorable response, catch phrases generate support for a proposal that hinges not on the content of the proposal itself, but merely on the wording of the catch phrase. Catch phrases may also form the basis of a slogan for use by those who expect to carry out a campaign for or against an initiated constitutional amendment, thus further prejudicing voter understanding of the issues actually presented. In re Ballot Title 1999-2000 # # 227 & 228, 3 P.3d at 6-7; In re Proposed Initiative on Casino Gaming, 649 P.2d 303, 308 (Colo.1982). Slogans are catch phrases tailored for political campaigns  brief striking phrases for use in advertising or promotion. They encourage prejudice in favor of the issue and, thereby, distract voters from consideration of the proposal's merits. We determine the existence of a catch phrase or slogan in the context of contemporary political debate. See In re Ballot Title 1999-2000 # # 227 & 228, 3 P.3d at 7; In re Workers Comp Initiative, 850 P.2d 144, 147 (Colo.1993). We approach the potential existence of a catch phrase cautiously. See In re Ballot Title 1999-2000 # # 227 & 228, 3 P.3d at 7. Our task is to recognize terms that provoke political emotion and impede voter understanding, as opposed to those which are merely descriptive of the proposal. See id. Here, the words as rapidly and effectively as possible are included in the first clause of the Board's titles. They appear in the title as follows: An amendment to the Colorado Constitution concerning English language education, and in connection therewith, requiring all children in Colorado public schools to be taught English as rapidly and effectively as possible . . . . (Emphasis added.) Counterpart language appears in the submission clause. These words operate as both a catch phrase and a slogan. They mask the policy question regarding whether the most rapid and effective way to teach English to non-English speaking children is through an English immersion program. This question is a subject of great public debate. By including the as rapidly and effectively as possible language in the titles for Initiative # 258(A), the Title Board tips the substantive debate surrounding the issue to be submitted to the electorate. While we agree that the initiative contains this language, the Title Board is not free to include this wording in the titles if, as here, it constitutes a catch phrase. See In re Proposed Initiative on Obscenity, 877 P.2d 848, 850-51 (Colo.1994).