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California Legislative Analyst to Write Ballot Measure Titles and Summaries Initiative (2022)
| California Legislative Analyst to Write Ballot Measure Titles and Summaries Initiative | |
|---|---|
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| Election date November 8, 2022 | |
| Topic Direct democracy measures | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Amendment & Statute | Origin Citizens |
The California Legislative Analyst to Write Ballot Measure Titles and Summaries Initiative (#21-0024) was not on the ballot in California as a combined initiated constitutional amendment and state statute on November 8, 2022.
The ballot initiative would have required the California Legislative Analyst, rather than the California Attorney General, to write the ballot title and summary for ballot measures.[1]
Text of the measure
Ballot title
The ballot title would have been as follows:[2]
| “ |
Transfers Constitutional Authority for Writing Statewide Ballot-Measure Summaries. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute..[3] |
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Petition summary
The summary provided for inclusion on signature petition sheets was as follows:[2]
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Transfers the elected Attorney General’s constitutional and statutory authority to write summaries of statewide ballot measures for use in election materials and for collecting qualifying signatures to the Legislative Analyst, who is appointed by a joint committee of the Legislature. Eliminates existing requirement that summaries describe a measure’s chief purpose and points; instead, requires summaries describe the primary changes in law. Requires advisory committee to recommend changes to summaries for clarity. Requires Legislative Analyst to post on website documents it receives relating to ballot measures.[3] |
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Fiscal impact
The fiscal impact statement would have been as follows:[2]
| “ |
Depending on how the measure were implemented, there could be minor state savings or costs.[3] |
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Full text
The full text is available here.
Path to the ballot
Process in California
In California, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 8 percent of the votes cast in the preceding gubernatorial election. Petitions are allowed to circulate for 180 days from the date the attorney general prepares the petition language. Signatures need to be certified at least 131 days before the general election. As the verification process can take multiple months, the secretary of state provides suggested deadlines for ballot initiatives.
The requirements to get initiated constitutional amendments certified for the 2022 ballot:
- Signatures: 997,139 valid signatures were required.
- Deadline: The deadline for signature verification was 131 days before the general election, which was around June 30, 2022. However, the process of verifying signatures can take multiple months and proponents are recommended to file signatures at least two months before the verification deadline.
Signatures are first filed with local election officials, who determine the total number of signatures submitted. If the total number is equal to at least 100 percent of the required signatures, then local election officials perform a random check of signatures submitted in their counties. If the random sample estimates that more than 110 percent of the required number of signatures are valid, the initiative is eligible for the ballot. If the random sample estimates that between 95 and 110 percent of the required number of signatures are valid, a full check of signatures is done to determine the total number of valid signatures. If less than 95 percent are estimated to be valid, the initiative does not make the ballot.
Initiative #21-0024
Sam Blakeslee filed the ballot initiative on September 28, 2021.[4] The Attorney General of California issued ballot language for the initiative on November 30, 2021, allowing a signature drive to begin. Signatures were due on May 31, 2022.
The sponsors did not submit the required number of signatures by the circulation deadline.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ California Attorney General, "Initiative 21-0024," September 28, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 California Secretary of State, "Initiatives and Referenda Cleared for Circulation," accessed October 20, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Initiatives," accessed September 28, 2021
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