"The California Fair Voting and Equal Representation Act"

January 5 , 2005

The people of the State of California find and declare:

(a) The federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended, protects the voting rights of all people eligible to vote in the State of California, as guarantee by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.

(b) The federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended, prohibits any State or local governement from imposing any voting qualification or practice that results in a denial or abridgement of the rights of any citizen to vote on account of race, color or language spoken.

(c) Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended, ensure that members of a class of citizens protected by the Act do not have less opportunity than other members of the electorate to participate in the political process and elect representatives of their choice.

(d) The dilution of minority voting strength is contrary to public policy. The right of meaningful political participation of minority citizens is recognized. No vote cast in this State should be worth relatively more or less than another on account of the voter's race, color, ethnicity or language spoken, nor on account of the drawing of district lines.

(e) In order to assure that our representative system of government is open to public scrutiny and free of conflicts of interest, that it fairly reflects the demographic compisition of California's diverse population, and that it embodies the priciple of "one person, one vote," the People of the State of California hereby adopt "The California Fair Voting and Equal Representation Act."

Full Initiative Text - Option I

Full Initiative Text - Option II

Full Initiative Text - Option III

Full Initiative Text - Option IV