Newsom’s unfair special election sets a terrible precedent

By now, most voters know that Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature have scheduled a special election for November 4 to consider Proposition 50 – a proposed constitutional amendment that would deprive voters of fairly drawn congressional districts.

But a few crucial points have not been publicized. First, this special election shrinks by nearly 60% the standard 131-day period for evaluating a proposed constitutional amendment. Second, this compressed pre-election period has deprived Californians of the standard time for submitting ballot arguments or for challenging the fairness of the ballot title and summary upon which many voters rely in deciding how to vote. Third, the text of the constitutional amendment itself conceals both its content and its impact because it cryptically ado