filed suit Wednesday<\/a> over language about a November ballot initiative seeking to impose voter ID requirements on the Golden State.<\/p>\nAssembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate President pro Tempore Monique Lim\u00f3n are challenging an argument in favor of Proposition 39. They say initiative supporters have made false claims, including that it saves money, makes voting easier and forbids placing burdens on voters.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause California law prohibits these unsupportable statements from being distributed to voters through the state\u2019s official ballot materials, they must be stricken,\u201d the pair says in the lawsuit.<\/p>\n
The Democratic lawmakers urge a Sacramento County Superior Court judge to resolve the suit by Aug. 10, as voter information guides will be printed and mailed to millions of people within weeks. No hearing date has been set.<\/p>\n
A voter-initiated ballot measure, Proposition 39 would require people to show government-issued ID when casting a ballot in person. They\u2019d have to include the last four digits of a government-issued ID when voting by mail.<\/p>\n
California would have to provide voter ID cards when requested, and elections officials would have annual reporting requirements, showing the percentage of voters whose citizenship they\u2019ve verified.<\/p>\n
No ID is currently required at state polls.<\/p>\n
\u201cProp. 39 keeps voting EASY \u2014 while also making it more SECURE,\u201d the argument in support states. \u201cProp. 39 keeps mail ballots, extended polling hours and all other conveniences in place for voting accessibility. Most importantly, Prop. 39 requires no burdens be placed on voters. No additional documents (birth certificate, marriage license, etc.) are required.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rivas and Lim\u00f3n say it\u2019s untrue that the measure would make it easier to vote, as voters need show no ID currently.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe argument in favor falsely states that \u2018[n]o additional documents (birth certificate, marriage license, etc.) are required,\u2019\u201d the pair say, adding: \u201cProposition 39 plainly requires \u2018additional documents\u2019 from voters, because current law does not require in-person voters to present any documents at the time of voting.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lawmakers also say a claim that the proposition has privacy protections is wrong, as no new privacy or security measures are included.<\/p>\n
And a mention of the state\u2019s signature verification process implies the proposition would eliminate or change those requirements, which isn\u2019t accurate, they say. The measure adds voter ID requirements and repeals no other procedure currently in place.<\/p>\n
The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst\u2019s Office contradicts supporters\u2019 arguments that the proposition would save money. While the office said it could reduce some costs, other costs would increase by hundreds of millions of dollars, the pair writes.<\/p>\n
Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, a San Diego Republican and coauthor of the proposition, blasted the suit in an X post.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese politicians know that they can\u2019t win a fair vote on Prop 39\u2019s bipartisan solution for voter ID because it has supermajority support from California voters,\u201d he wrote. \u201cSo instead they\u2019re trying to deceive voters by putting a false ballot title on it and are now even distracting voters from their tampering of the ballot title with this frivolous lawsuit.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lawsuit is the second filed this week<\/a> in Sacramento County over the proposition.<\/p>\nCalifornians for Voter ID, Yes on 39 and an Orange County voter sued claiming Attorney General Rob Bonta\u2019s office made improper changes to the measure\u2019s title and summary.<\/p>\n
Initially, it stated the proposition \u201cEstablishes additional voter identification and citizenship verification requirements.\u201d Bonta\u2019s office changed it to: \u201cProhibits citizens from voting unless they present government-issued identification.\u201d<\/p>\n
They want a judge to compel the state to amend or strike the challenged language and have the secretary of state include the new language in the voter information guide. Alternatively, they want the phrase \u201cprohibits citizens from voting\u201d removed.<\/p>\n
A hearing is set in that case for Aug. 6.<\/p>\n
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