Bill Text: CA SJR29 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Voting: disenfranchisement.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2012-09-10 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Res. Chapter 125, Statutes of 2012. [SJR29 Detail]

Download: California-2011-SJR29-Introduced.html

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BILL NUMBER: SJR 29	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Yee

                        JUNE 6, 2012

   Relative to voting rights.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SJR 29, as introduced, Yee. Voting: disenfranchisement.
   This measure would proclaim the Legislature's support for the
investigation by the federal Department of Justice into whether state
legislatures are discriminating against and suppressing the vote of
minorities, senior citizens, young adults, or those with physical
disabilities or limited economic means, and the measure would further
denounce any law that disenfranchises society's most disadvantaged
eligible voters.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, With great enthusiasm and interest, more than five
million new voters participated in the 2008 statewide general
election; and
   WHEREAS, Many new voters in 2008 were minorities, which included
African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinos; and
   WHEREAS, The voter participation gap between Caucasians and
minorities fell in the 2008 election; and
   WHEREAS, African Americans and Latinos registered to vote at
nearly twice the rate of Caucasians in voter registration drives in
2008; and
   WHEREAS, Sadly, after 2008, more than 30 state legislatures
introduced voter suppression laws that may disenfranchise an
estimated five million voters from registering to vote or casting a
ballot in the 2012 statewide general election; and
   WHEREAS, Voter suppression is a deliberate political act designed
to disenfranchise minorities, young adults, the poor, the disabled,
and the elderly; and
   WHEREAS, Prior to 2006, no state required an individual to show a
government-issued identification to vote; and
   WHEREAS, The most underserved and least powerful, which include
the poor, the homeless, minorities, the disabled, and the elderly,
are disproportionally affected by the requirement to show a
state-issued identification card, due to a lack of financial means,
time, or mobility; and
   WHEREAS, State laws limiting voter registration drives impede the
rights of free speech and freedom of assembly; and
   WHEREAS, Voter registration drives are the single most effective
means of registering minority voters; and
   WHEREAS, Eliminating same-day registration in some states, or
shortening the period of time for in-person early voting in others,
deters citizens from participating in democracy; and
   WHEREAS, Nearly all instances of voter fraud are either clerical
or typographical errors on the voter roll; and
   WHEREAS, The act of fraudulently voting is a singularly
inefficient and ineffective act, carrying the risk of five years in
prison and a $10,000 fine for each offense; and
   WHEREAS, Many state legislators now argue voter fraud is rampant,
leading 16 states to enact voter suppression laws that require
state-issued identification, restrict voter registration drives, or
limit early voting by either mail or in person; and
   WHEREAS, Voter suppression laws are the modern form of voter
discrimination; and
   WHEREAS, An election system with fair access provides the greatest
guard to our rights and liberties; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of
California, jointly, That the State of California supports the
investigation by the federal Department of Justice into whether state
legislatures are discriminating against and suppressing the vote of
minorities, senior citizens, young adults, or those with physical
disabilities or limited economic means; and be it further
   Resolved, That the State of California denounces any law that
disenfranchises society's most disadvantaged eligible voters; and be
it further
   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the President and the Vice President of the United
States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to each
Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the
United States, and to the author for appropriate distribution.