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California Repeal Three-Strikes Law Initiative (2022)
| California Repeal Three-Strikes Law Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 8, 2022 | |
| Topic Law enforcement and Civil and criminal trials | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The California Repeal Three-Strikes Law Initiative (#21-0035) was not on the ballot in California as an initiated state statute on November 8, 2022.
The ballot initiative would have repealed the state's criminal sentencing three-strikes law.[1]
Text of the measure
Ballot title
The ballot title would have been as follows:[2]
| “ |
Repeals Three Strikes Sentencing Law. Initiative Statute.[3] |
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Petition summary
The summary provided for inclusion on signature petition sheets was as follows:[2]
| “ |
Eliminates third-strike sentencing enhancement that currently imposes life imprisonment with possibility of parole for serious felony offenders with two or more prior serious or violent felony convictions. Eliminates second-strike sentencing enhancement that currently doubles sentence term for felony offenders with one prior serious or violent felony conviction. Requires resentencing of inmates who would have received lesser sentences under this measure. Maintains other sentencing enhancements for repeat offenders. Applies savings from sentencing changes to public school youth-mentoring programs, tuition assistance at California Community Colleges and California State University, and restorative justice and transitional housing programs.[3] |
” |
Fiscal impact
The fiscal impact statement would have been as follows:[2]
| “ |
Net state criminal justice system savings that could range from the low hundreds of millions of dollars to over $1 billion annually, which would be spent on education, restorative justice, and transitional housing. Temporary increase in county criminal justice system costs that could be in the tens of millions of dollars annually.[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 state statute is equal to 5 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 state statutes certified for the 2022 ballot:
- Signatures: 623,212 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 #21-0035
Earlonne Wods and John Yahya Johnson filed the ballot initiative on October 25, 2021.[4] The Attorney General of California issued ballot language for the initiative on December 29, 2021, allowing a signature drive to begin. Signatures were due on June 27, 2022.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ California Attorney General, "Initiative 21-0035," October 25, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 California Secretary of State, "Initiatives and Referenda Cleared for Circulation," accessed December 10, 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 October 25, 2021
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State of California Sacramento (capital) |
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