| Elections in California |
|---|
 |
A California Congressional Redistricting Initiative, Proposition 20 was on the November 2, 2010 ballot in California. It was approved by 61.2% of voters.[1] Election officials announced on May 5 that the proposition had collected sufficient signatures to qualify for the ballot.[2] The measure is known by its supporters as the VOTERS FIRST Act for Congress.
The Congressional Redistricting Initiative:
- Added the task of re-drawing congressional district boundaries to the California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CCRC) created by Proposition 11.
- Defined a "community of interest" as "a contiguous population which shares common social and economic interests that should be included within a single district for purposes of its effective and fair representation. Examples of such shared interests are those common to an urban area, an industrial area, or an agricultural area, and those common to areas in which the people share similar living standards, use the same transportation facilities, have similar work opportunities, or have access to the same media of communication relevant to the election process."
Ballot language was filed by Charles Munger, Jr., who was also Proposition 20's largest financial supporter. Munger, the son of billionaire Charlie Munger, was a supporter of Proposition 11 in 2008, which created a new way for political districts to be drawn for California's state legislators and its state Board of Equalization.
A competing initiative that also qualified for the November 2 ballot, California Proposition 27 (2010), sought to repeal Proposition 11.
Proposition 20 and Proposition 27 each had a so-called "poison pill" provision. This means that if they both received a majority vote, the proposition that received the highest majority vote is the law that would go into effect. Since Proposition 20 passed but Proposition 27 did not, neither provision was triggered.
- ^ ""California Secretary of State", "State Ballot Measures, Election Results, November 2, 2010"". Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
- ^ "Sacramento Bee, "Ballot measure to expand Prop 11 to Congress OK'd", May 5, 2010". Archived from the original on August 11, 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2010.