Voter ID backers sue California Attorney General Rob Bonta for trying to rig ballot measure

Supporters of California’s voter ID initiative sued Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday, accusing him of trying to “rig” the November election by using misleading ballot language to sway voters against Proposition 39.The lawsuit — filed in Sacramento County Superior Court — names Secretary of State Shirley Weber as the respondent while challenging ballot language written by Bonta.It seeks an expedited court order requiring the attorney general to rewrite the initiative’s ballot title, summary and label before state voter guides are finalized, arguing the language violates California law requiring ballot materials to be “true and impartial.”“Rob Bonta knows that Prop 39 is likely to pass because it is a bipartisan solution to Voter ID and is supported by a supermajority of Democratic, independent, and Republican voters,” Assemblymember Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego) said in a statement.“Knowing he can’t defeat our bipartisan solution to Voter ID in a fair election, he has decided to rig the vote against Prop 39 with a false title claiming it prohibits citizens from voting!”The legal challenge comes as Democrats mount an aggressive campaign to defeat Prop.

39, with gubernatorial frontrunner Xavier Becerra and California Speaker Robert Rivas serving as honorary co-chairs of the new opposition committee, “No on 39 – Block Trump’s Election Rigging.” Backed by SEIU California and Planned Parenthood, the campaign announced it has already raised more than $2 million, while supporters of the initiative have accumulated their own war chest, raising more than $12 million over the last year and a half.Bonta enraged Prop.39 backers last week when he released a new title and summary for the measure, stating that it would prohibit citizens from voting unless they present government-issued identification.Supporters argue the description is false because Proposition 39 regulates how ballots are verified and counted rather than preventing eligible vote...