I’m writing as one of many dozens of volunteers who collected signatures for the Dakota Pacific referendum. I’ve paid attention from early on, years now, and felt that supporting the seven sponsors and people behind the scenes at Protect Summit County was the least I could do in an attempt to ov erride the controversial 4-1 County Council decision made back in December. I also thought that a victory (referendum on our November general election ballots) would send a strong message to our council, state leadership and certain legislators that ignoring your constituents and voting for unconstitutional state overreach are totally unacceptable. There must be accountability and consequences. Utah is now the laughingstock of the nation for it being run by developers with powerful people in their deep pockets.Volunteers spent thousands of hours all over the county during a 45-day window. I worked (outdoors) in Pinebrook Park, at the Summit County Library, on Coalville’s Main Street, and even at the liquor store on Saturday afternoons (most lucrative)! I went door to door in my precinct. I placed fliers and gave out our home address and phone number. I drove to individual homes, had people come to me, or sometimes met them somewhere in between. I brought my referendum books everywhere — church, gym, grocery stores and the like. Most of our volunteers did the same and even more. The referendum process is not an easy one.But for our county clerk (Eve Furse) to take it upon herself to make it even harder! I don’t understand that. My first referendum book (No. 18) was a three-ring binder containing all required documents, and it remained bound throughout my signature gathering efforts. Furse threw it out along with 29 others. That’s up to 3,000 voters disenfranchised. I got no response when I told her via email that I’d be happy to sign an affidavit (although I basically had already in my book) or even take a lie detector test to give voice to those 100 voters, including my husband, one daughter, and close friends and neighbors. Thankfully, my second book (No. 50) had a different, more permanent binding and was accepted. Maybe some of those 100 passed the clerk’s scrutiny. My very own signature was not counted, having signed in one of the clerk’s forbidden books.    With the IRS, one is presumed guilty and must prove innocence. It seems the same way with our clerk. Why must I prove to her that I didn’t remove pages and witnessed each and every signature? Fact is, I never removed pages and complied with Utah Code. Yet she automatically assumed the worst and threw the entire book out. You can imagine the calls I’m receiving from people upset that their signatures were not verified. In my opinion, the referendum, without the clerk’s intervention, would be deemed “sufficient” and placed on our November ballots. For her to disenfranchise so many voters is saddening and frankly abhorrent.On the bright side, I found much inspiration during this referendum process and grassroots effort. For once, an issue became equally important to Democrats and Republicans and all those in between. Finally, some common ground after a highly divisive national election. I also enjoyed meeting the sponsors and people from all walks of life, even those hired by Dakota Pacific to protest and interrupt our efforts.  I hope that Protect Summit County follows through with a lawsuit to reinstate the 30 thrown out books, and that in the end the referendum is put to the voters. If any referendum should have passed, this should have been the one, given that 90% plus of Summit County residents (informally) surveyed are against this high-density, multi-use project in Kimball Junction. Should it happen, perhaps some of us will do a “Sundance” and just plain leave.And I hereby endorse our dog, Lola, as next Summit County clerk! At least Lola has better instincts and tends to give people the benefit of the doubt.Lisa WallPark CityThe post Feeling betrayed appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less