A Proposition: End Propositions
Forward Article to a Friend
Print Article
167 pages. 167 full-on 8-by-11 pages of the 192-page California voter information guide are dedicated to propositions: arguments, counterarguments, sponsors, detractors, summaries, and the actual texts of the propositions. In fact, 92 pages worth of information about this election’s propositions appear before information about actual candidates. And, this is merely the English version. There are also versions in Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. I’d give some statistics on those, but I’m only just learning Spanish and my East Asian languages are a little rusty.
Unfortunately, even with a plethora of languages in which to read it, the fact that this voter guide is 192 pages long is not only indicative of a few thousand less acres available in the Amazon, but also a striking misfortune when it comes to voter empowerment. Few Californians outside of super-politicos will bother to read much of the information. The California Voter Guide is no Da Vinci Code—it’s dreary, boring, bureaucratic language mixed in with endorsements that attempt to get as many people as possible to oppose/support individual propositions. Even if people did have both the time and motivation to read the entire book, they might not fully understand the actual text of the propositions and their consequences. In fact, simply because of the burdens involved in reading up on all of this information, California voters are in the unadvisable position of either being an uninformed voter or not voting at all.
Of course, this was not how the proposition system was meant to be. Propositions were supposed to be yet another check on government, empowering the people to take on their causes when politicians in Sacramento proved unable or unwilling to pass legislation in their favor. Propositions were supposed to be a step closer to democracy with the people able to hold their government accountable. The noble effort, however, and its ideal viewpoint of the California citizen are misguided.
Not to say that the California citizen couldn’t be and isn’t a valuable check on the politicians in Sacramento. But California’s citizens are busy people and, regardless of calls for “performing one’s civic duty”, their reading of 192 pages in order to be informed is asking too much—in fact, it may even discourage voting in the first place.
But the essential problem with the proposition system today is the fact that a small portion of Californians are able to impose substantial legislation on the remainder. In the June 6, 2006 primary election, only 23% of eligible Californians voted. If the election were close, 12% of eligible California voters could pass a mandatory law for 100% of Californians. In fact, the highest percentage ever in a California primary election was 51.53% in 1938. Now, some may say that if people really cared, they should vote—but California certainly doesn’t make it easy for them to do so. Associated with the problem of low voter turn-out is the relative ease with which one can get a statute on the ballot: One only needs to write a petition to the Attorney General, pay the token amount of $200, and attain the signatures of a mere 5% of the number of people who voted in the most recent election for Governor. For a Constitutional Amendment, the process only requires an additional 3% of signatures.
There have been some good propositions—like Proposition 13, which helped decrease the tax burden on California voters despite enormous opposition from all fronts—but, all in all, the impulse to pursue excessive democracy can serve to harm republican principles. The politicians in Sacramento are charged with serving the people of their districts and of this state. If an individual or a group of individuals fail to do so, they deserve to be thrown out of office at the next available election. Ideally, legislators would be held sufficiently accountable through this process such that propositions would not be needed. Given, however, that the proposition system is here to stay, California definitely needs to simplify the process in which they’re presented and restrict propositions to general elections—which have naturally higher turn out rates. Finally, California should reform the way in which propositions are put on the ballot by adopting stricter requirements. Ironically, because propositions are such a sacred cow in California, the best way to do all of this is none other than through a proposition.
