This election season is as contentious as ever. Flagrant spending by corporate and political interests continues to corrode the voters’ ability to factually assess the issues at hand.
Proposition 40 approves the redistricting boundaries established for state senators by the Citizens Redistricting Commission. The commission came into existence in 2008 when a majority of California voters passed Proposition 11, the Voters First Act.
According to the 2012 General Election ballot, if California voters reject the commission’s redistricting through a veto referendum, “Districts will be adjusted by officials supervised by the California Supreme Court.”
The state supreme court consists of seven justices. Six of the seven current justices were appointed by republican governors; two by George Deukmejian; two by Pete Wilson; and two by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Oversight by this court would decimate the neutral objectivity of the public’s redistricting commission and would replace it with heavily skewed, conservative biases.
Who exactly is behind this manipulative and underhanded effort? The vero referendum is funded by a chief proponent, Fairness & Accountability in Redistricting (FAIR). This Orwellian committee title is designed to evoke emotions whilst disguising the nature of the beast.
More than 80 percent of the commissions’ funding is provided by the California Republican Party. In their campaign to erode and undermine democracy, FAIR has shoveled more than $2.1 million in a concerted effort to manipulate California voters.
FAIR’s opposition, Hold Politicians Accountable has managed to allocate and spend $327,000 in an attempt to uphold the established will of the majority.
By the numbers, this transparent operation to undermine California voters is tremendously important to the Republican Party. During their unyielding crusade to corrupt the hearts and minds of voters, FAIR has spent 6.42 times more money than Hold Politicians Accountable.
The people of California made their intentions clear in 2008. The very existence of this referendum demonstrates the outright contempt and repulsion the California Republican Party and its affiliates hold for both the voting public and for the democratic process.
