It’s election day! Well, in Fort Collins, anyway.

More on that in a moment on the Face The State Radio Minute.

Fort Collins is taking to the polls. Well, figuratively speaking, anyway. Today is the deadline for returning ballots in Fort Collins’ mail-ballot election, which will determine whether unions may force binding arbitration on the city during labor disputes. It’s the latest salvo in a statewide push for a greater union presence in government.

As I’ve previously shared with you on this program, this is the third time at bat for the unions. A previous effort to impose collective bargaining failed by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.

Forcing binding arbitration on the city is like putting shackles on the city council. Fort Collins residents elect representatives to negotiate with police, firefighters and other employees regarding wages and benefits. It’s flat-out undemocratic to allow a third party the ultimate authority to tell the city how to spend its money. Arbitration may work for businesses, but with taxpayers on the hook, elected representatives should be in charge.

For FaceTheState.com, I’m Brad Jones.