If you care about election integrity in California, you can help

California is a state in desperate need of election reform.Citizens have lost confidence in the voting process.That is why more than 1.3 million Californians signed petitions to place Proposition 39, a voter identification and citizenship verification initiative, on the ballot in November.Prop.

39 is a common-sense measure to ensure illegal ballots are not being cast.  The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.Please provide a valid email.

By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story Right now, California does not require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, and state law prevents local governments from imposing their own voter identification requirements for municipal elections.That’s an invitation to fraud.And Californians are not alone in suspecting that their elections can be compromised.According to a recent nationwide Gallup poll, nearly six in 10 Americans are concerned that ballots will not be properly handled, counted or secured in November.In the world’s greatest democratic republic, that widespread lack of confidence should concern all of us.But the answer cannot simply be waiting for Washington, state capitals or election officials to restore that confidence.America was built on a different idea: self-government.From the earliest days of our republic, Americans have done more than choose their government.

We have participated in its administration.Throughout our nation’s history, Americans have served on juries, gathered in town meetings, selected local officials and taken responsibility for the institutions on which republican government depends.The French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville, admiring what made America unique, recognized the importance of this tradition of self-government as he traveled through the United States in the 1830s.

Tocqueville noted that American institutions placed responsibility...