Jerry Brown

Electoral Reform in Our Future?

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Several potential reforms wait on deck

by Brian Leubitz

It is still bill passing season up in Sacramento, and electoral reform is always a popular subject of conversation. Sen. Mark DeSaulnier passed an eminently reasonable reform to the initiative process:

Senate Bill 448, by Democratic Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, would require that paid solicitors working to qualify initiatives, recalls or referendums for the ballot wear badges stating in “no smaller than 30-point font print” that they are a paid signature gatherer.

The state Senate today approved amendments to the measure, which had previously passed both houses, on a 24-14 vote. The lower house had stripped a provision that would have also required identification badges for those working as a “volunteer signature gatherer.” (SacBee)

SB 448 would be a nice simple reform of the system that would let voters know who exactly they are talking to.  The downside is relatively minimal, so let’s hope that Gov. Brown goes ahead and signs this one.

But there are other changes still lingering around the Capitol.  While we have tried in vain for several years to get some form of same-day registration, we’ve been entirely unsuccessful so far.  This year seems to be headed in the same direction as SB 641, a relatively modest same-day registration bill, looks to tango with the dreaded Suspense File for bills requiring appropriations.  The pricetag is relatively small, pegged at between 300 and 600 thousand dollars, but that’s enough for some monkey business.

SB 641 is scheduled to come to the Appropriations Committee on August 25, so we may learn more about the future of Ron Calderon’s bill between now and then.

4 thoughts on “Electoral Reform in Our Future?”

  1. “compelled speech,” and that is not necessarily “relatively minimal.”  There may be constitutional ways to do this, but the unconstitutional ways are probably easier and more likely.

    Let’s put it this way: could the government force people who accept payment for blogging to append within their sig lines “PAID BLOGGER”?

    Now, I’m not saying that sometimes it wouldn’t be nice if they could….

  2. We should simply pass a law that says all funds spent on initiatives must come from California. Forbid out of state contributions.

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