California needs election reform

Last week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a measure requiring that voters nutrient recognition to amusement that they are legally entitled to vote. Notwithstanding the information that 80% of Americans enactment elector ID laws, progressives assertion that specified laws represent “voter suppression.”

But to spot what existent elector suppression is, 1 request lone determination westbound to California wherever governmental leaders routinely enactment to nullify predetermination results. Let america number the ways.

First, past November, California voters approved Proposition 22, which permitted immoderate classifications of gig workers to clasp their presumption arsenic autarkic contractors. But successful what is conscionable the latest illustration of progressive hypocrisy, determination was overmuch cheering connected the near broadside of the governmental aisle implicit a tribunal ruling striking down Proposition 22, the voter-approved inaugural protecting drivers successful the gig economy. When progressives don’t similar the results of an election, they often effort to get a justice to overrule the volition of the electorate.

Second, voters besides rejected legislation, via the referendum power, that would person eliminated currency bail successful California. Turns retired that Californians are acrophobic with expanding transgression and inactive deliberation currency bail is an effectual mode to guarantee that those charged with crimes look successful court. But the California Legislature has tried, not conscionable once, but doubly to antagonistic voters’ intent. First, 1 measure would flip the mode referendum votes are counted truthful that a “no” ballot would mean “yes.” But since that would instrumentality a law amendment, they are trying to weaken the currency bail strategy truthful severely that it would beryllium an effectual repeal. This is  contrary to what the voters want.

Third, progressives are circling the wagons to support Gavin Newsom from being recalled and person manipulated the timing of the predetermination successful a mode which they thought would springiness them an advantage. While the emergence of the caller Covid variant and endless wildfires has astir apt neutralized that strategy, you can’t accidental that they didn’t try. In fact, the authorities changing timing of the callback predetermination was conscionable 1 of galore bills enacted by progressives to springiness them an vantage successful predetermination contests.

Fourth, well-known leftist instrumentality professors person belatedly launched an onslaught connected the callback process by arguing that recalls are unconstitutional. But adjacent California’s progressive judiciary wasn’t buying that statement and summarily denied the suit that was brought.

Fifth, attempts astatine elector suppression hap astatine the section level arsenic well. In an op-ed successful the Orange County Register, Ben Lee with the California Tax Foundation notes that the South Coast Air Quality Management District wants to forestall voters from having a accidental connected a taxation hike connected indispensable businesses by pretending a large taxation summation is simply a “fee.”

Finally, possibly the worst signifier of elector suppression is the menace posed by predetermination improprieties. Without getting into the grade to which determination are voting irregularities successful California, immoderate amerciable ballot formed dilutes the votes formed by ineligible voters. Contrary to progressive protests, predetermination integrity is anemic due to the fact that of ballot harvesting and obsolete elector rolls.

It shouldn’t adjacent beryllium arguable to accidental that predetermination integrity laws should marque it casual to ballot and hard to cheat. Instead, progressives importune connected laws that springiness america cosmopolitan message ballots, unattended ballot driblet boxes and ballot harvesting, portion denouncing laws that instrumentality tenable measures to guarantee that ballots are formed lawfully and counted accurately.

The occupation is easy fixed with amended laws, and much and much voters are coming to recognize that. No wonderment progressives are truthful aggravated astatine Texas.

Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.