Prop 39 Ballot Title Fight: Judge Rules in Favor of Attorney General Bonta

A Sacramento Superior Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit from the Yes on 39 campaign, allowing Attorney General Rob Bonta to keep his revised ballot title for the voter ID measure. The title now reads“Prohibits citizens from voting unless they present government-issued identification.”The campaign argued the wording was misleading and that it omitted key parts of the measure, but the judge ruled Bonta’s version is a true and impartial statement of the proposition’s purpose.

The Yes on 39 campaign is led by Republican Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, who did not hold back in his response. He said California politicians are“corruptly trying to rig the election”with a“biased and dishonest title.”The campaign gathered signatures using a different title, which likely changed how the measure was perceived during the petition drive. Bonta, meanwhile, celebrated the ruling, saying the ballot materials give voters an accurate picture of what Prop 39 would do.

This fight matters because the title is the first thing voters see when they open their ballots. It shapes public perception, and for a controversial issue like voter ID, perception is everything. The campaign has vowed to continue fighting, so this might not be the last we hear about Prop 39 before November. What do you think, should the title stay as Bonta wrote it, or does the campaign have a point about the wording being unfair?