Opinion ID: 2521384
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Purported Purpose of Ballot Issue Was Misleading

Text: Cacioppo finally argues that the ballot issue election should be overturned because the District intentionally misled voters into thinking that they were voting solely for a cost-of-living increase when part of the tax increase was intended to be used for a performance pay program. Cacioppo asserts that the results of the election were wrongfully obtained by the District because the ballot title's only stated purpose for the tax increase was to provide a cost-of-living increase for employees. The ballot title pertinently reads: SHALL THE EAGLE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT RE-50J BE INCREASED $3,115,827 ANNUALLY ... FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING THE DISTRICT WITH AN ANNUAL SUPPLEMENTAL COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT AS AUTHORIZED BY THE SCHOOL FINANCE ACT OF 1994...? Below the ballot title, the notice that went out to voters includes comments filed in favor of the proposal by the District. Those comments include the following statement: Of the $3.1 million raised by this measure, two-thirds will go toward a general cost-of-living pay increase for all teachers and staff, and one-third will support a performance pay program to reward teachers for outstanding student achievement. Cacioppo does not allege that the District lacks the authority under the ballot issue to divert some of the increased revenue away from the cost-of-living increase to a performance pay program. He claims instead that by excluding that information from the ballot title itself, the District intentionally misrepresented the true purpose of the ballot issue. Thus, he argues, the election should be overturned on that basis. Similar to the preceding claim, however, we note that because funding of the performance pay program was mentioned in the constitutionally required notice, Cacioppo's objection is based on information that was available to him and all other Eagle County voters prior to the election. Thus, the claim concerns the means through which the District obtained the election results and not the substantive limits of the ballot issue itself. Because the claim ultimately depends upon information included in the notice and addresses matters beyond the form or content of the ballot title, we determine that it is not time-barred by section 1-11-203.5. However, because it does not involve the legality or the constitutionality of the ballot issue's substance, and instead concerns only the means through which election results were obtained, we conclude that the claim is subject to the time limits of section 1-11-213.4, which, as explained above, require a challenge to election results to be filed within ten days after the official survey of returns. Because this claim was not filed within that timeframe, we, as well as all other courts, are without jurisdiction to address the claim.