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SacBee: Sen. Runner sues Brown over photo ID ballot measure summary
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 16 commentsby Andy Furillo, Sacramento Bee
State Sen. George Runner has sued Attorney General Jerry Brown to force California’s top cop to rewrite the summary on a ballot measure that would require people to show a picture ID before they could vote.
Runner, a Republican from Lancaster, charges in the lawsuit filed Oct. 14 in Sacramento Superior Court that the Democratic attorney general tried to “mislead the public” with a slanted ballot measure.
In its official “title and summary” on the Runner-sponsored initiative, Brown’s office states that the measure would place “limits” on voting and that it “prohibits citizens from voting” unless they produce the photo ID.
“I believe the attorney general’s job and responsibility is to give voters a fair explanation for an initiative that is put before them,” Runner said in an interview Tuesday. He called the attorney general’s ballot summary on his initiative “way over the top.”
A spokesman for Brown said that Runner’s lawsuit is “without merit.”
“Our lawyers believe that the title and summary they prepared accurately and properly summarizes the key points of the initiative,” attorney general spokesman Scott Gerber said in an e-mailed statement.
No hearing date has been scheduled on the suit. The case has been assigned to Judge Timothy M. Frawley.
Initiative sponsors such as Runner routinely sue the attorney general over wording on initiatives before they go out for signature gathering and even afterward when the measures are placed before voters. Runner, however, said the summary suggesting his “Vote SAFE: Secure and Fair Elections Act” limits or prohibits voting is “factually wrong.”
His suit says that a letter to the editor to the San Bernardino Sun written by Brown’s chief deputy, Jim Humes, in response to a Runner op-ed article in support of the initiative reflects a political slant on the attorney general’s part that biased the summary.
Humes’ letter says Runner failed in his op-ed piece “to acknowledge the troubled history of voting in our country,” which Humes said included “poll taxes, literacy tests and requirements that one own property in order to vote.”
The senator on Monday submitted another draft of his measure to the secretary of state’s office. He said that he expects to get an additional attorney general’s title and summary by December and that he will then begin circulating petitions again to try to place the initiative on the November 2010 ballot.
Runner’s initiative would require voters to present photo identification to obtain a ballot. Under the measure, voters could still cast provisional ballots if they didn’t have a photo ID or refused to show it. Ballots cast by mail would have to include the last four numbers of voters’ California driver’s licenses or ID cards, or the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.
16 responses to “SacBee: Sen. Runner sues Brown over photo ID ballot measure summary”
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Theodore W. Mueller October 22nd, 2009 at 16:49
How could anyone be dissatisfied when asked to show a picture ID before they vote? This is insane to think that a person could register to vote and be opposed to show their picture ID. It’s about time that the voters in California stand up , take responsibility for this process and show a picture ID.
I hope you win your law suite against Jerry Brown, and we can feel like those voting are intitled to cast a ballot!!TW Mueller
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Jim McILROY October 22nd, 2009 at 17:18
Teach the Attorney General a lesson, George don’t let that rat faced twit the opportunity to win ……..
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Bee Corley October 22nd, 2009 at 19:27
You did not address my concerns about fradulant voting via absentee ballots.
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Bravo. Voter fraud in Cook County Illinois is legenday, and the fraud has spread. Democrats feed on it and rely on Acorn, illegals and Unions to get people alive or dead, to vote Democrat and vote as often as possible in a day.
Keep up the good work. -
Gary Glaze October 23rd, 2009 at 05:22
I thought it was possible to get a social security # without being a citizen. This assumption is based on the notion that undocumented aliens can pay taxes and in order to pay taxes you have to have a SS#. Would mail in ballots be considered as provisional? what is the estimated cost for verifying the mail in ballots?
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Fred E Barrett October 23rd, 2009 at 07:49
This is just one step of many required to eliminate the underworlds success in stealing the elections of the people and giving those offices over to those who have not actually been elected such as the dude in Minnesota who now sits in my opinion in a senate seat he was not elected to, a person who by the courts and illegal organizations actions such as ACORN who have overruled the actions of the people for their own special interests doesn’t this sound Marxist? It sure does to me. Our government is in a shambles no matter what level whether it be city, county, state or federal. We as a people must put in place restrictions that would prevent an elected official such as Jerry Brown from going against the will of the people as he did with Prop 8 in the last election. Isn’t that illegal? What Jerry Brown has done surely must be against the law. His position does not give him the right to violate the oath of office he took at his swearing in. Will this be the way he controls the people against there will ? shouldn’t our elected officials be held to their oath of office and be punished for violating it as so many have done in recent years? The legislatures have sit idly by and permitted them to fail to fulfill the duties of their offices rather than investigating them and then bringing charges charges against them and removing them from office
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Debra H October 23rd, 2009 at 08:44
I support this attempt. Our family had an exchange student from Turkey and while she was here she was able to get a social security card and a California ID from DMV. While Runner’s methods may not stop non-citizens from voting, it would ensure that those who vote are who they say they are. This would keep people from outside counties and states from registering dead people and the such and then showing up to the polls to vote on their behalf…and many of the other vote fraud problems that have occured in our history. This requirement has nothing to do with voting taxes or literacy tests, it is just making sure those who vote are who they say they are.
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Charles Medicus October 23rd, 2009 at 08:56
I would rather see some method that requires proof of CITIZENSHIP.
I agree that to vote any person should have to have some method of verification -
Charles Medicus October 23rd, 2009 at 08:57
proof of citizenship should be a requirement.
I agree that to vote should require verification that the voter is eligible.
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I understant that it is illegal to vote unless you are a citizen of the U.S. Since we have so few voting now , why put more barriers in the way. Enforce the the laws that are already in existence.
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Sofia Garcia October 23rd, 2009 at 11:07
Most everyone has a drivers license or a state ID. If they are legal then they should have no problem identifying themselves. No one is asking for proof of Citizenship or Naturalization. It’s a State ID.
All who are illegal shouldn’t worry you have fake ID’s already don’t you? Someone willsee it and verify it’s you on the ID. Your still going to be able to lie and cheat the country. So what’s the problem?
People who are in government that want non-citizens to vote are cheating those of us who are here llegally. It’s down right disgusting.
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Betty Hittenberger October 23rd, 2009 at 14:45
What is a provisional ballot?
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I have no problem about voters being required to provide some form of official Government Identification. I believe that the government has a fiduciary responsibility to validate all voter legitimacy. A voter should provide more proof of citizenship than just a name and address.
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Loretta D Moffett October 25th, 2009 at 12:02
Yes, I agree that all voters should show photo identification and a voter registration card in order to cast their ballots at any election. I also believe that the voter registration card should show date of birth, place of birth, and date voter became an American citizen – if they were not born in the USA.
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Dennis Gottier November 7th, 2009 at 10:43
George,
Thank you once again for looking out for the interests of all citizens, and fighting to keep our rights from being eroded by the liberals.
I can’t drive without photo ID, I can’t hunt or fish without a photo ID. Yet for some reason some think it is OK to perform the most sacred of all American rights, that of voting, without presenting a valid ID.
Keep up the good fight.
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cheryl rotert February 12th, 2010 at 22:01
Dear Senator:
I read your bill on requiring voters to show photo Id. I would like to have you take that one step further. We can no longer afford to use the Absentee Ballot system other than for Americans who are overseas and for those disabled in Care Homes. There is no security in this system and we, the people, have lost our control for our destiny in this country which was proven with the hundreds of ficticious ballots cast in the 2008 election. How many more votes were fake?? Our polls have been invaded by terrorists and we need a direct deposit for our votes. Physcial presence MUST BE A REQUIREMENT to vote! Help us take back our country. In this day and age there has to be an electronic means to secure our polls. Thank you for your attention to this critical problem. It is the root of our problems in the US. Something has to be done before the next election. Stop the enemies! Stop Absentee Mail-in VOTING!!
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