Editorial Board Endorsements: Elections 2012
California Initiatives Process
The initiative process in California, which allows citizens to place statutes and amendments to the state constitution on the ballot, began more than 100 years ago.
Over the years, voters have enacted significant pieces of legislation through this process, including a law that changed the requirements for passing the state budget, and Proposition 13, which restructured the funding system for some state institutions. Among the most popular issues historically covered by propositions are taxation, the environment and health.
A majority of Californians, though, say the initiative process needs an overhaul. Critics say that special interests dominate the process, and that it circumvents the state legislature's decision-making.
Any California voter can place a proposition on the ballot. For an initiative to qualify for the ballot, more than 500,000 voters must sign a petition proposing the measure. The state legislature then approves the initiative to appear on the ballot.
By Editorial Board
Nov. 1, 2012 12:53 a.m.
Past the partisan bickering and campaign half-truths of the 2012 election season, it is integral that students take the initiative to educate themselves about the issues at stake on the November ballot.
The Daily Bruin editorial board, which represents the voice of the entire newspaper, has researched the measures and candidates that students will be voting on, and endorsed the ones we think do the most to support the UCLA community. We encourage students to use our endorsements as a starting point for conducting their own research, forming their own educated opinions and casting an informed vote come Election Day.
See which candidates and propositions the board endorsed:
The people
The education propositions
The rest of the propositions
