Voter Information Guide for 2008, General Election
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University of California, Hastings College of the Law UC Hastings Scholarship Repository Propositions California Ballot Propositions and Initiatives 2008 Voter Information Guide for 2008, General Election Follow this and additional works at: http://repository.uchastings.edu/ca_ballot_props Recommended Citation Voter Information Guide for 2008, General Election (2008). http://repository.uchastings.edu/ca_ballot_props/1266 This Proposition is brought to you for free and open access by the California Ballot Propositions and Initiatives at UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Propositions by an authorized administrator of UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CALIFORNIA ELECTION TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008 OFFICIAL VOTER INFORMATION GUIDE I, Debra Bowen, Secretary of State of the State of California, do hereby certify that the measures included herein will be submitted to the electors of the State of California at the General Election to be held throughout the State on November 4, 2008, and that this guide has been correctly prepared in accordance with the law. Witness my hand and the Great Seal of the State in Sacramento, California, on this 11th day of August, 2008. Debra Bowen Secretary of State Dear Fellow Voter: By registering to vote, you have taken the fi rst step in playing an active role in deciding California’s future. Now, to help you make your decisions, my offi ce has created this Offi cial Voter Information Guide that contains titles and summaries prepared by Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr., impartial analyses of the law and potential costs to taxpayers prepared by Legislative Analyst Elizabeth G. Hill, arguments in favor of and against all ballot measures prepared by proponents and opponents, text of the proposed laws proofed by Legislative Counsel Diane F. Boyer-Vine, and other useful information. The printing of the guide was done under the supervision of State Printer Geoff Brandt. On November 4, 2008, we will have the opportunity to help choose our nation’s next president, as well as congressional and state legislative representatives. We also will decide on many measures placed on the ballot by lawmakers and members of the public. In some communities, local government candidates and ballot measures will be on the ballot, too. Voting is easy, and any registered voter can vote by mail or at a polling place. The last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot is October 28. There are more ways to participate in the electoral process. You can: • Be a poll worker on Election Day, helping to make voting easier for all eligible voters; • Spread the word about voter registration deadlines and voting rights through emails, phone calls, brochures, and posters; and • Help educate other voters about the candidates and issues by organizing discussion groups or participating in debates with friends, family, and community leaders. For more information about how and where to vote, as well as other ways you can participate in the electoral process, call 1-800-345-VOTE or visit www.sos.ca.gov. It is a wonderful privilege in a democracy to have a choice and the right to voice your opinion. Whether you cast your ballot at a polling place or on a vote-by-mail ballot, I encourage you to take the time to carefully read about your voting rights and each ballot measure in this information guide. Thank you for taking your civic responsibility seriously and making your voice heard! TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE QUICK-REFERENCE GUIDE 6 PROPOSITIONS 1 High Speed Rail Bonds. Legislative Initiative Amendment. ............................................12 2 Standards for Confi ning Farm Animals. Initiative Statute. ..............................................16 3 Children’s Hospital Bond Act. Grant Program. Initiative Statute. ...................................20 4 Waiting Period and Parental Notifi cation Before Termination of Minor’s Pregnancy. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. .........................................24 5 Nonviolent Drug Offenses. Sentencing, Parole and Rehabilitation. Initiative Statute. ............................................................................................................30 6 Police and Law Enforcement Funding. Criminal Penalties and Laws. Initiative Statute. ............................................................................................................40 7 Renewable Energy Generation. Initiative Statute. ...........................................................46 8 Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. ............................................................................54 9 Criminal Justice System. Victims’ Rights. Parole. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute. .........................................................58 10 Alternative Fuel Vehicles and Renewable Energy. Bonds. Initiative Statute. ....................64 11 Redistricting. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute. ....................................70 12 Veterans’ Bond Act of 2008. ...........................................................................................74 AN OVERVIEW OF STATE BOND DEBT 78 TEXT OF PROPOSED LAWS 80 VOTER BILL OF RIGHTS 143 INFORMATION PAGES Where to Vote ............................................................................................................................. 4 Provisional Ballot Information ..................................................................................................... 4 State and Federal Voter Identifi cation Requirements .................................................................... 4 Voting by Mail ............................................................................................................................. 4 Presidential Candidate Statement Information ............................................................................. 5 Legislative Candidate Statement Information .............................................................................. 5 Supplemental Voter Information .................................................................................................. 5 Large-Print and Audio Voter Information Guides .....................................................................142 Serve as a Poll Worker ...............................................................................................................142 Voter Registration Information .................................................................................................142 VISIT THE SECRETARY OF STATE’S WEBSITE TO: • View information on statewide measures www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov • Research campaign contributions and lobbying activity http://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/campaign • Find your polling place on Election Day www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_ppl.htm • Obtain vote-by-mail ballot information www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_m.htm • Watch live election results on Election Day http://vote.sos.ca.gov Table of Contents | 3 Where to Vote When you receive your county sample ballot booklet in the mail a few weeks before Election Day, look for your polling place on the back cover of the booklet. If you do not receive your sample ballot booklet, contact your county elections offi ce. You can also fi nd your polling place by calling the Secretary of State’s toll-free Voter Hotline at 1-800-345-VOTE (8683) or by visiting www.sos.ca.gov. The sample ballot booklet also includes instructions on how voters with disabilities are able to vote privately and independently and will display the International Symbol of Accessibility if your polling place is accessible to voters with disabilities. Provisional Ballots Provisional ballots are ballots cast by voters who: • Believe they are registered to vote even though their names do not appear on the offi cial voter registration list; • Believe the offi cial voter registration list incorrectly lists their political party affi liation; or • Vote by mail but cannot locate their vote-by-mail ballot and want to vote at a polling place. All valid provisional ballots that county elections offi cials determine have been cast by eligible voters are counted and included in the offi cial election results. Elections offi cials have 28 days to complete this process, referred to as the “offi cial canvass” period, and must report the results to the Secretary of State 35 days after the date of the election. State and Federal Voter Identifi cation Requirements In most cases, voters are not required to show identifi cation before they cast a ballot. If you are voting for the fi rst time after registering by mail and did not provide your driver license number, California identifi cation number, or the last four digits of your social security number on the registration card, you may be asked to show a form of identifi cation when you go to the polls. Make sure you bring identifi cation with you to the polls or include a copy of it with your vote-by-mail ballot. For a list of the more than 30 acceptable forms of identifi cation, contact your county elections offi ce or visit the Secretary of State’s website and look for “HAVA ID Regulations” at www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_regs.htm. Voting by Mail You may return your voted vote-by-mail ballot by: 1. Mailing it to your county elections offi ce; 2. Returning it in person to any polling place or elections offi ce within your county on Election Day; or 3. Authorizing a legally allowable third party (spouse, child, parent,