SACRAMENTO, CA - - California’s secretary of state would be a nonpartisan position under a new proposal put forward by Republican Assembly members, who say the change is needed to restore faith in the state’s elections. “Elections only work if people who vote in them can trust the process and right now that trust is at an all-time low,” said Assemblymember Natasha Johnson, R-Lake Elsinore, who co-introduced the measure, at a news conference Thursday morning. “Restoring that trust is a multifactor process, but one thing is very clear: allowing partisan offices to oversee our elections is a recipe for disaster.”

“Elections only work if people who vote in them can trust the process and right now that trust is at an all-time low,” said Assemblymember Natasha Johnson, R-Lake Elsinore, who co-introduced the measure, at a news conference Thursday morning. “Restoring that trust is a multifactor process, but one thing is very clear: allowing partisan offices to oversee our elections is a recipe for disaster.”

The measure, Assembly Constitutional Amendment 23, comes as trust in elections nationally has dropped in recent years, particularly among Republicans. Much of that is driven by President Donald Trump who just this year alleged that California Democrats rigged the June primary in their favor due the lengthy time it takes the state to count ballots.

The amendment faces tough odds of passing the Legislature because it needs the support of at least two-thirds of members in both the Assembly and the Senate, before Sept. 1. Few, if any, Democrats appear likely to back it.

If it did gain enough legislative support, it would then go before voters in a future election. “We’re not deciding this for California, we’re giving Californians the chance to decide for themselves,” Johnson said. The role is currently held by Shirley Weber, a Democrat running for reelection. She won more than 58% of the vote in the June primary and will face Donald Wagner, a former Republican assemblymember, in November.

“We’re not deciding this for California, we’re giving Californians the chance to decide for themselves,” Johnson said.

The role is currently held by Shirley Weber, a Democrat running for reelection. She won more than 58% of the vote in the June primary and will face Donald Wagner, a former Republican assemblymember, in November.

“ACA 23 is a common sense idea,” Wagner said at the news conference. “It is not an opportunity for Republicans to win more races, for Democrats to win more races, for anyone to win more races. It is an opportunity for the voters, for the voters of this state, no matter what they feel, no matter what party, or no party they belong to, to actually have a say.”

Read more at: The Sac Bee

###