[EL] CA Governor Brown vetoes CA preclearance system, acts on other election-law bills

[Douglas Johnson]

FYI: Over the weekend, California Governor Jerry Brown signed and vetoed a number of bills related to the California Voting Rights Act:

 

Signed into law SB493 <http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB493>  - allows general law cities under 100,000 in population to change from at-large to by-district elections without putting the change on the ballot. 

Signed into law AB277 <http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB277>  - confirming that the California Voting Rights Act applies to charter cities (legislatively affirming what California courts have already decided).

 

Vetoed AB182 <http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB182>  - which would have challenges to by-district election maps in state court under CVRA (currently by-district maps must be challenged under the more stringent and clear rules of the Federal Voting Rights Act). [Veto message here <http://gov.ca.gov/docs/AB_182_Veto_Message.pdf> .]

Vetoed AB254 <http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB254> , which would have pushed local jurisdictions to consolidate elections with statewide elections (he previously signed SB415 <http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB415> , which had a similar goal). [Veto message here <https://www.gov.ca.gov/docs/AB_254_Veto_Message.pdf> .]

Vetoed AB1301 <http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1301> , which would have set up a voting procedures preclearance system under the control of the Secretary of State, writing ". . . I am unconvinced that a California-only pre-clearance system is needed." [Full veto message here <https://www.gov.ca.gov/docs/AB_1301_Veto_Message.pdf> .]

 

-        Douglas Johnson

Fellow, Rose Institute of State and Local Government

Claremont McKenna College

Douglas.johnson at cmc.edu <mailto:Douglas.johnson at cmc.edu> 

310-200-2058

 
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