Gov. Brown vetoes bill easing special election burdens on counties, voters
Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill on Monday that would have allowed him and his successors to cancel a special election if there is only one candidate.
Brown was concerned that while there may be only one candidate officially running, there are often one or more write-in candidates running as well.
“In the situation envisioned by this bill, potential write-in candidates would be excluded from participating in the election,” Brown wrote in the veto message. “That doesn’t seem consistent with democratic principles that call for choice and robust debate.”
The bill was sponsored by Sen. Sharon Runner, R-Lancaster, who died earlier this month, ending a longtime battle with scleroderma. Runner was elected in a special election last year with 94.1 percent, with six write-in candidates splitting the remainder of votes.
The Runner election cost Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties almost $1.7 million total. Had it been signed into law, the Runner bill would have allowed Brown to cancel a special election and declare an officially unopposed candidate like Runner the winner.
Legislators have long looked for a way to ease the burden and costs of special elections on counties and voters. A CalWatchdog investigation earlier this year showed that counties have spend around $21.7 million on special elections replacing state lawmakers since 2013.
3 comments
Write a comment
Related Articles
California burns as politicians fiddle
Sept. 18, 2012 By Katy Grimes The most recent culmination of the insane end of the California Leguslature’s two-year session
EdSource look at superintendent turnover ignores union elephant
Dec. 8, 2012 By Chris Reed There are none so blind as those who will not see. EdSource does a
Tesla gets shadowy CA competitor
Tesla, Elon Musk’s famed electric car company, just lost a slice of the Golden State limelight. Speculation has swirled around
One obvious reform that would reduce such special election costs (elections that waste many volunteers’ time):
Such special elections should be MAIL BALLOTS. VERY few people vote in such contests, with rare exceptions. Mail ballot elections would pProbably would cut the election cost 70% or more. Easier for everyone.
Moonbeam brown is total idiot this blabbbering nincompoop and liberal DUMB-O-CRAT is typical of a liberal politicians no brains at all just a totaly empty head
The leader is never around children. The goes back to a departure from the seminary. Restraining orders are a pain.