Nevada is poised to take center stage in the debate over a proposed national law that would ban workers from voting for or against labor unions in secret ballot elections.

A group based in Las Vegas called "Save Our Secret Ballots" is preparing to defend against the proposed law -- which is supported by Barack Obama and the mostly Democratic Congress. The group, fronted by a Republican former Congressman from Oklahoma, is pushing for state-by-state constitutional amendments that would essentially require secret ballots to be used to form or join a union at a business.
The effort is kicking off in Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Nevada and Utah. Clint Bolick of the Phoenix-based Goldwater Institute, a conservative think-tank that recently thumped Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office, is one of the board members for Save Our Secret Ballots and wrote the proposed language for the constitutional amendment. It's just two sentences -- the first, short and innocuous, and the second, a lawyer's dream: The right of individuals to vote by secret ballot is fundamental. Where state or federal law requires elections for public office or public votes on initiatives or referenda, or designations or authorizations of employee representation, the right of individuals to vote by secret ballot shall be guaranteed.

The group is launching a citizens initiative to put the above language before Nevada voters. If voters approve it, the law will become embedded in the state's constitution. On its Web site, Save Our Secret Ballots www.sosballot.org admits it expects a legal challenge if the amendment is ever enacted in Arizona or another state, especially since it is meant to conflict with the proposed federal law mentioned above. The conservatives are upset at what they see as a power grab by management and union leaders, and in this case their vision seems clear. The ironically named "Employee Free Choice Act" is being pushed with no apologies by the labor unions, which have seen falling membership in recent decades and need a boost. The bill would allow unions to get entrenched at a business merely by getting a majority of employees to sign a card over a period of time. Union supporters argue that a business can monopolize employees' time with brainwashing anti-union meetings or videos before an election, so elections must be eliminated. Unfortunately, the so-called "card check" process can also be manipulated. And unions, despite their illustrious past in carving out workers' rights, sometimes play dirty.

Though a secret ballot election isn't perfect, there is no better way to vote on something if you want to reveal the voters' true feelings. In Nevada the voter’s rights are protected under NRS 293.2546. This initiative is not exclusively focus on management and union leaders, it is an initiative that will provide protection against losing our freedom to vote without intimidation at all levels.