McGeorge law students break down California ballot measures to help voters make informed decisions

With Election Day approaching, California voters are facing a crowded ballot and competing claims about what the state's propositions would do.

A group of University of the Pacific students is working to make those decisions easier by offering a detailed, nonpartisan analysis of the measures.

UOP's McGeorge School of Law offers a special course on California propositions every election year. Students spent the semester examining the statewide propositions on the November ballot, researching their potential effects and compiling their findings into a 268-page report available online.

The students presented their research at a free public forum Wednesday night, where community members could hear their explanations and ask questions.

For some voters, the amount of information surrounding ballot measures can make the process difficult.

"The advertisements, all the text messages and the phone calls, all those things can be really overwhelming," law student Nikki Adkins said.

Another voter, Art Fong, said competing messages can make the decision even more challenging.

"You read the materials and one says one thing and the other says the opposite," Fong said.

The students said understanding the measures can be difficult even for people who have spent months studying them.

"We've really taken everything apart and it's even difficult for us to understand after working on it for two months," Adkins said.

McGeorge law professor Mary-Beth Moylan said California has 14 statewide ballot propositions this election, creating a substantial amount of material for voters to review.

Among the measures drawing attention are Propositions 40, 41 and 42, which involve competing proposals related to a so-called "billionaires tax."

"There's a lot of buzz about that and there's a lot of buzz about 41 and 42, which are countermeasures," Moylan said.

Law student Andrew Dale added, "If one of them receives more affirmative yes votes than 40, 40 is null and void even if it passes."

The course also gives students an opportunity to examine what goes into drafting a statewide initiative.