Fuentes

I. INTRODUCTION

The California Constitution’s 1911 amendment, which established the initiative and referendum, reflects the belief that the people hold the ultimate authority in government. (Associated Home Builders etc., Inc. v. City of Livermore (1976) 18 Cal.3d 582, 591 (Associated Home Builders).) These mechanisms are not government-bestowed privileges but powers the people have deliberately retained. (Ibid.) Courts have consistently underscored the importance of protecting this right, recognizing it as a vital element of democracy. (Ibid.) Judicial precedent favors interpreting this power broadly to prevent undue limitations, and when legal uncertainties arise, courts resolve them in favor of maintaining the people’s direct legislative influence. (Ibid.) Here, we evaluate the procedures employed by election officials to validate signatures on an initiative petition to determine whether the

initiative qualifies for placement on the ballot.1 Election officials invalidated certain signatures on an initiative petition for reasons such as incorrect dates, address misspellings, illegibility, and nonstandard abbreviations. We conclude election officials reasonably excluded…