Bill Mundell, Chairman, Californians for Fair Redistricting Says: ''The Forces against 'Redistricting' Are Trying to Deny the Will of a Million Voters Who've Signed the Voter Empowerment Act''.

LOS ANGELES -- Urges Attorney General to Stop This Obstruction of the Ballot Initiative Process

According to Californians for Fair Redistricting, the effort to stop the Mundell-led redistricting initiative from going to a vote of the people has now made its way to the state attorney general's office.

Bill Mundell, Chairman of Californians for Fair Redistricting, says any attempt to stop this initiative from going to a vote of the people is an obstruction of the initiative process. "The hoopla over the minor differences in language between the Voter Empowerment Act and the ballot petitions signed by nearly a million voters has no substantive result and is a clear and present danger to the most important reform initiative in the November special election," declared Mundell as he vowed to fight for the rights of millions of defrauded voters. "The fact that a non-circulated draft of the initiative petition has stylistic and inconsequential technical differences from the ballot initiative signed by voters cannot invalidate the measure. There is plenty of legal precedent supporting this view. Attorney General Bill Lockyer, has to be cognizant of the rights afforded our citizens in the initiative process."

According to CFFR Executive Director David Robison, the specific differences that the opposition is seizing upon to try and stop the fair redistricting initiative are as follows: The circulated version uses the word "nominated" instead of "selected" and selected rather than "appointed." The circulated versions uses "provided for" instead of "as specified." The circulated version has stylistically altered three sentences from the draft submitted to the Attorney General's office, but the point and substance of each sentence is the same. The circulated version gives the legislative leaders of both parties an extra day to object (peremptorily challenge) a nominated special master. But, in both versions the special masters must be appointed within the same time period.

Bill Mundell, who is CEO and Chairman of Vidyah, Inc., a leading educational technology company based in Los Angeles, says he knew there would be inauthentic obstacles which would try to negate this vital reform. "The attorney general knows full well the history of obstruction in the reform of redistricting in California," Mundell challenges. "If he is the attorney general for all of us who live in this state he has to stop this preposterous challenge designed to rob voters of their right to vote on reform which is urgently needed to bring democracy back to California." This week Californians for Fair Redistricting sent out nearly a million emails urging supporters of the initiative to continue to press the Governor not to compromise and to allow voters a chance to vote on the fair redistricting initiative in November. "Mid-term redistricting in 06 is technically possible and morally right."