Sacramento judge sides with Attorney General Rob Bonta in Prop 39 ballot title lawsuit
A Sacramento judge has sided with California Attorney General Rob Bonta, rejecting a petition by the Yes on 39 campaign.
The Yes on 39 campaign filed a lawsuit in Sacramento Superior Court against California Attorney General Rob Bonta, alleging that his revised ballot title for Proposition 39 is misleading and violates state election laws.
Prop 39, a voter ID measure, initially had the title “Establishes additional voter identification and citizenship verification requirements,” which proponents used last year to gather signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot.
On July 3, Bonta’s office changed the title to “Prohibits citizens from voting unless they present government-issued identification.”
The judge said the ballot description is accurate and what Bonta did was legal.
“Today’s ruling confirms what we have said from the start: the ballot materials at issue — the ballot title and summer and ballot label — give a true and impartial statement on Proposition 39’s chief purpose and points,” Bonta said in a statement Thursday. “My office followed the law and fulfilled its duty to provide California voters with clear, accessible, and accurate information. We’re pleased that the court agreed with us.”
In the lawsuit, the campaign argued that the new title is inaccurate and violates the law requiring the attorney general to “give a true and impartial statement of the purpose of the measure.”
The group also claimed the revised title omits a key aspect of the measure, which would create new responsibilities for the state and counties to maintain accurate voter rolls and verify citizenship.
“Whether you support or oppose this measure, voters deserve a ballot description that is accurate and impartial,” the Yes on 39 campaign said in a statement.
The lawsuit also names Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber and asks the court to compel state officials to correct the title before ballots and voter information guides are printed.
San Diego Republican Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, who is leading the effort on the ballot measure, criticized the change in an interview on California Politics 360.
After Thursday’s ruling, Demaio released the following statement:
“California politicians know that a super majority of California voters support Prop 39’s bipartisan solution for voter ID, so now they are corruptly trying to rig the election by putting a biased and dishonest title on this common sense measure.”
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