February 5, 2008 Election Information

In this Presidential Primary election, the political parties in California will select a candidate to run in the November General Election. In addition, voters will have three initiatives to consider, including one—Proposition 92—that would change the funding and governance of California’s community colleges. The other two initiatives are Proposition 91, Transportation Funding, and Proposition 93, Limits on Legislators’ Terms in Office.

State Propositions
Presidential Primary
Links
Multilingual Voter Services

Important Dates in 2008

Jan. 21: The last day to register to vote in the Presidential Primary.
Feb. 5: Presidential Primary.
May 19: The last day to register to vote in the Direct (non-presidential) Primary.
June 3: Direct (non-presidential) Primary.
Oct. 20: The last day to register to vote in the General Election.
Nov. 4: General Election.

Apply to Vote Absentee

Registered voters can submit applications for an absentee ballot to county election officials by mail for an upcoming election not later than the seventh day prior to the election. For the Feb. 5, 2008 Presidential Primary election, that date would be Jan. 29. Go to the California Secretary of State's office for more information and to download a form. Or go to the Easy Voter website for information guides for all three elections in 2008 or to the California Voter Foundation for its Voting FAQ.

State Propositions

Proposition 92: Community Colleges’ Funding, Governance, and Fees
Since 1988, funding for California’s community colleges has been linked with K–12 schools under the Proposition 98 minimum funding guarantee. Proposition 92 would create a separate minimum guarantee for the state's 109 community colleges. This new guarantee would be based on the state’s economic growth (or decline) and on the increase (or decrease) in the number of residents that are college-age, whether or not they attend community college. The proposition would not change the way the guarantee is determined for K–12 schools.

In addition, the measure would reduce student fees from $20 per unit to $15 per unit and limit future fee increases.

Proposition 92 would also somewhat change the makeup and authority of the board of governors that oversees the community college system. Finally, it would formally establish and define community colleges in the California Constitution. Currently, community colleges are mentioned in the constitution but defined by statute only.

Proposition 98, which was passed in 1988, has significant and complicated impacts on Proposition 92. See EdSource's Primer on Proposition 98 for more information. The California Budget Project has an analysis of the effect of Proposition 98 on Proposition 92; to read this analysis, click here.

The Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) discusses the fiscal impacts of the measure. Click here.

See "Yes on Proposition 92"

See "No on Proposition 92"

Proposition 93: Limits on Legislators' Terms in Office
This proposition reduces the total amount of time a person may serve in the state Legislature from 14 years to 12 years. Currently an individual is restricted to six years in the Assembly (three two-year terms) and eight years in the Senate (two four-year terms), with one exception—when a person serves additional time by finishing out less than one-half of another person’s term.

If voters approve Proposition 93, then legislators can serve all 12 years in the Assembly or Senate or a combination of both. Proposition 93 also provides a transition period that would allow current legislators to serve a total of 12 consecutive years in the house in which they are currently serving, regardless of any prior service in another house. This could result in some current legislators serving longer than 14 years.

This measure would not have any direct fiscal effects on total state spending or revenues, according to the Legislative Analyst's Office. For more information, click here.

See "Yes on Proposition 93"

State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner opposes the measure.

Proposition 91: Transportation Funding
This proposition prohibits the state from keeping funds earmarked for transportation in the General Fund for any use unrelated to transportation. If passed, it would go into effect after July 1, 2008. The Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO). projects that transportation fund revenues will total about $9 billion in 2007–08.

Under Article XIX of the California Constitution, monies in the Transportation Investment Fund are restricted to specified transportation purposes—primarily highways, streets and roads, and traffic enforcement, according to the LAO. However, these revenues currently can be loaned to the General Fund under two conditions. The first is as a short-term measure for cash-flow purposes, which means the funds must be paid back within 30 days of adoption of the state budget. Secondly, the funds can be borrowed for up to three years if the governor and Legislature agree that putting earmarked monies in the transportation fund would cause a significant negative impact on governmental functions. Proposition 91 would eliminate the latter option.

The measure also allows the state until June 30, 2017 to repay transportation funds borrowed prior to 2007–08. The LAO says there could be additional interest costs to the General Fund if the payback is prolonged until 2017.

The LAO also says the measure will, in general, make transportation funding more stable. For more details, see the LAO report.

See "Yes on Proposition 91"

See the argument against Proposition 91.

Propositions 94, 95, 96, and 97 are referendums on Indian gaming compacts that have been negotiated by the state with four different Indian tribes in Southern California. For more information, see the links below. Also see:

"Yes on Propositions 94, 95, 96, and 97"

"No on Propositions 9, 95, 96 and 97"

Presidential Primary

The current Presidential Primary debates and discussions have focused on the war in Iraq and healthcare, with very little engagement with education issues. However, a private organization, Strong American Schools, is attempting to focus political attention in 2008 on education issues. Strong American Schools is a project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, a nonpartisan campaign supported by the Broad Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Voters may want to consider candidates’ views on education because the new president is likely to have an opportunity to play a key role in education policy. Congress has chosen to not reauthorize the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) this year, and many believe the legislators will wait until after the November 2008 elections to take up the issue. Many advocates are supporting a variety of changes—some quite significant—to this federal law that has an impact on every public school in California.

To find out which candidates are participating in the Presidential Primary in California, see the California Secretary of State's website.

Links
Below are additional organizations that provide information to voters:

• As mentioned above, the Easy Voter website.
• The League of Women Voters Smart Voter website allows you to enter your street address and zip code to view your personalized ballot. It also has links to information on the statewide propositions.
• The California Voter Foundation provides nonpartisan election and government resources. Besides the Voting FAQ mentioned above, the site also provides other information, such as the California Map Series, which shows maps of the state’s political districts, regions, and counties. The California Government section features basic information about federal, state, and local government in California, with a collection of links to additional online resources.
• You can download free information about how to choose a candidate who supports public education from the Public Education Network's Give Kids Good Schools website. The site presents a list of questions that highlight the most pressing concerns and issues in public education today, informs voters about important education issues, and helps them determine a candidate’s stance on public education.

Multilingual Voter Services
For voter information in languages other than English, see the Easy Voter website, which offers a downloadable four-page handout with simple descriptions and pictures that explain each step of the voting process. It is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.