The California Chamber of Commerce threw its support behind a constitutional amendment that would transfer the responsibility for drafting official descriptions of statewide ballot measures to the non-partisan legislative analyst’s office from the attorney general.
The statewide chamber’s board voted Thursday to support the Ballot Measure Transparency Act of 2022.
“Voters should have the expectation of clear, accurate and useful descriptions of ballot measures to help them make an informed decision when they vote,” said CalChamber President and CEO Jennifer Barrera. “This initiative will take bias and politics out of official descriptions of ballot measures.”
Critics of the current system contend that the AG’s office has sometimes crafted the title and summary for ballot measures in a partisan manner — and believe the non-partisan LAO's office would do a better job.
Former state Sen. Sam Blakeslee, who founded the think-tank, the Institute for Advanced Technology & Public Policy at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo a decade ago, is the official proponent of the initiative.
“The ballot initiative process provides California voters with a critical opportunity to vote on important issues facing the state, including amending our State Constitution,” Blakeslee wrote. “But the official descriptions of ballot measures are often confusing, misleading and/or biased, obscuring the intent behind a measure and frustrating voters’ ability to make an informed choice."
The title and summary for Blakeslee’s ballot measure
Over time, there has been criticism of how the AG's office crafts the language for ballot measures, some of which lead to voters approving tax increases or long-term bond debt without being aware of the long-term impact.
The largest outcry over ballot measure language came in 2015 when Vice President Kamala Harris was attorney general.
Pension reform advocates, former San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, a Democrat, and former San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio, had crafted a ballot measure back then that they believed had confusing ballot language.
The pair pulled the ballot measure and revised it after they claimed the ballot description crafted by Harris’ office would incorrectly give voters the idea the measure would change benefits for existing employees. In California, existing laws don't allow pension reforms that affect existing employees benefits.
“If you look at the title and summary issued by the attorney general, it’s extremely negative,” told the Bond Buyer in 2015. “We think it is inaccurate and unfair and politically written.”
The pair ultimately pulled the revised measure also because they were unable to get the support needed to have it included.
The CalChamber Board of Directors supports this change because many voters only see and consider the titles, summaries, and ballot labels when casting their votes, according to a statement. This places a high premium on objective and accurate ballot information, they said.
“The LAO has delivered consistent, objective and high-quality work products over decades as an independent, nonpartisan, trusted source of policy analysis,” Barrera said. “Moving the ballot information process to the LAO will ensure greater integrity in the initiative process.”
The measure also contains instructions for the LAO that require analysts to remain independent, non-partisan and guided solely by the interests of voters. It requires clear, concise terms that are easily understood by voters, to state clearly whether a measure increases taxes and to consult with its existing independent panel of readability experts to ensure its ballot descriptions are easy to understand.
