Weeks after the tight finish in the June controller’s race highlighted major weaknesess in California’s recount law, legislation to create taxpayer-funded recounts in close contests has bogged down in partisan fighting and is dead for the year. Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, D-San Mateo, blamed the failure of Assembly Bill 2194 on Republican members of the state Senate who, he said, have blocked efforts to waive Senate rules that prohibit committee hearings after Aug. 18. “The recount initiated in the recent State Controller’s primary race exposed serious flaws in our existing recount system, whereby candidates can cherry-pick which counties they want to recount, assuming they have the funds to pay for it,” Mullin said in a statement Friday. “
It’s disappointing to see an opportunity to address a fundamental democratic principle like the election process denied this year for partisan reasons.”
Senate GOP spokesman Peter DeMarco said Mullin “has only himself to blame” for missing the Aug. 18 deadline.
“Last I checked, the primary was in June,” DeMarco said. “This is last-minute. It’s not the way public policy should be enacted.”
Full Article: California automatic recount bill stalls in Senate – Capitol Alert – The Sacramento Bee.