I find some of the wording in the “Notice…Mariposa County Service Area #3” pamphlet that accompanied the Official Ballot to be misleading and inaccurate. Under the heading “The Choice is Yours”…the pamphlet reads: “If a majority of the property owners agree, the charge is permitted. If the property owners do not agree, the charge will not be imposed”.

WHETHER OR NOT THE ISSUE PASSES OR FAILS HAS TO DO WITH THE MAJORITY COUNT OF THE PROPERTY OWNERS WHO VOTE AND RETURN THE BALLOT! That is not necessarily the same as the “majority of property owners”!

The correct representation would be…”if the majority of the property owners who vote and return their ballot, vote for the assessment, the charge is permitted. If the majority of the property owners who vote and return their ballot, vote against the assessment, the charge is not permitted.

To be fair and informative, the pamphlet should have stated, “only those property owners who vote and return a ballot will be the basis for establishing the majority position.”

In order to avoid unintentional misrepresentation, possible litigation and confusion, it would greatly behoove the County to “vet” their publications for intent, meaning, clarity, grammar, syntax and spelling.

Dave Silverman, Coulterville, CA