Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike are citing the need for broad reforms, such as proportional voting, to overhaul the state's broken electoral system. Members of the California Assembly plan to introduce legislation in 2006 that would create a representative body of 80 citizens from all over the state to study election problems. The citizens would make recommendations that would either be adopted legislatively or submitted as a ballot initiative to face voters.

FairVote has long advocated such a plan for California, as it would avoid the accusations of partisan motivations that clung to all sides of the recent redistricting reform debate.

The bipartisan proposal for a citizens assembly also received early support from California's New America Foundation, which pushed for a similar model based on the success an assembly in British Columbia. There, the assembly ultimately recommended choice voting.

[ Article on the proposed citizens assembly ]
[ Article on the legislation ]
[ FairVote's Proposal for a California citizens assembly ]
[ Information on the British Columbia citizens assembly ]
[ Bill information for ACA 28/Citizens Assembly on Electoral Systems Act ]