CA: Secretary of state calls for more review of initiative petitions

AP on Bakersfield Californian ^ | 8/15/05 | Jennifer Coleman - AP

[NormsRevenge]

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Secretary of State Bruce McPherson on Monday proposed changing the state's election process so state officials and initiative sponsors would have more time to review petitions before seeking voter signatures.

The change is designed to prevent problems that arose earlier this year when proponents of Proposition 77 discovered they had used two different versions - the one they circulated to voters differed in 17 places from the one they had submitted to the attorney general for review. The disclosure prompted a court fight that ended Friday when the state Supreme Court allowed the measure on the Nov. 8 special election ballot.

"Adding this step would hopefully prevent these kinds of problems," McPherson said in a meeting with reporters. "The voters deserve certainty in what is out there on the street."

Proposition 77 is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's attempt to change the way legislative and congressional districts are drawn, moving responsibility from state lawmakers to a panel of retired judges. The governor hopes lines drawn by an independent panel would lead to more competitive races.

Under McPherson's plan, an additional 10-day review period would be added to the initiative process between the time sponsors submit their proposal to the state attorney general and its release to the public. It also would give the secretary of state new authority to review petitions before they are released for circulation.

The plan would create a team that would review petitions quickly. The team's review would not cover potential legal issues that opponents might raise.

Such a change to state law would require legislative action.

Tom Dresslar, a spokesman for Attorney General Bill Lockyer, said the office had not seen any written proposal and would not comment.

Meanwhile, McPherson said he is not sure how quickly Proposition 77 could be implemented even if approved by voters.

Some of the measure's supporters believe that if approved in the Nov. 8 special election, new districts could be in place by the June 2006 primary election.

McPherson said high-tech computer programs make it technically possible to have new districts drawn within a few days. But he said court challenges to the new boundaries are likely, creating legal fights that might take months or years to resolve.

"Stranger things have happened, but it's a tight deadline," he said.