California Attorney General Rob Bonta is reacting to accusations of election rigging over his re-wording of a voter ID measure set to appear on the November ballot.
Bonta approved the original title for Proposition 39 nearly a year ago. It read: "Establishes additional voter identification and citizenship verification requirements.
" The newly revised title now reads: "Prohibits citizens from voting unless they present government-issued identification."
Critics say the wording is meant to mislead and discourage voters. Bonta dismissed the claims of framing the measure negatively.
"It accurately, fairly, descriptively, informatively sets forth what the measure does. Obviously, I think their language is inappropriate, unfortunate, and false."
Bonta says there is no requirement for title and summaries to match language in the signature gathering process. Following the change, there's been a renewed push from critics to strip the
AG of the power to write ballot titles and summaries, giving it to the non-partisan Legislative Analyst's Office.