Current California law says that anyone who is eligible to register to vote may circulate a candidate or an initiative petition. SB 408 would say that individuals who are not registered to vote may not circulate a petition unless they had been eligible to register to vote at the time of the last election. It was introduced on February 21 by Senator Jenny Oropeza (D-Carson).
Ballot Access News
Edited By Richard Winger
please keep me posted on this. thanks.
What difference does it make who the signature gatherer is or where they are from or whether or not they are registered to vote? Collecting signatures on petitions is a 1st amendment right that applies to everyone. Collecting signatures on a petition is not the same thing as voting.
What if a person moves to California after an election and it is several months or even a year until the next election? Under this proposed “law” it would be illegal for them to collect petition signatures. This is discriminatory and is also a blatant attack on the 1st amendment.
This is just an attempt by the legislature to make it more difficult to put stuff on the ballot. They want the voters to have less choices because it means more power for themselves.