SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Wednesday marked the deadline for California Attorney General Rob Bonta to submit the official title and summary for Proposition 50 — the language that voters will see on the November ballot. 

Proposition 50 will ask Californians whether they want to approve new congressional maps that could give Democrats an advantage in future elections, replacing those drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission.

Opponents of the measure, led by the No on Proposition 50 — Stop Sacramento’s Power Grab coalition, said they are worried about bias in how the ballot language is written.

“We just want to make sure that power remains with the citizens redistricting commission. Nothing good can come from politicians drawing their own lines,” said Jessica Millan Patterson, former California GOP Chair Jessica Millan Patterson.

The No on Proposition 50 group filed a public records request seeking all communications between the Attorney General’s office and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.

“For the party that keeps screaming about transparency, we haven’t really seen that much of it,” Patterson, who’s now leading the No on Proposition 50 campaign.

Patterson said the language used in the title and summary could influence voter perception of the measure.

“We want to make sure that when it comes to the title and summary and the ballot arguments…that they are going to be taken into consideration in a way that they are impartial, as they are intended,” Patterson added.

Chris Micheli, an adjunct professor at the McGeorge School of Law, explained that under the state constitution, the Attorney General is required to write a neutral ballot title and summary. 

“Critics of an AG’s title and summary are always concerned about the potential for some sort of inherent bias in it, and that is a reason why from time to time an AG’s title and summary actually gets challenged in court,” Micheli said.

The Attorney General’s office did not grant an interview but confirmed it received the public records request and stated that it takes its responsibilities seriously. The governor’s office said it does not play a role in the ballot title or summary process.

In addition to the records request, on Monday Republican state lawmakers and the Dhillon Law Group filed a lawsuit with the California Supreme Court seeking to remove Proposition 50 from the November ballot.

By Wednesday afternoon, the court had denied the request to block Proposition 50 from the ballot. A similar effort was also rejected last week. 

“Whether it’s in the courtrooms or at the ballot box, we’re going to make sure that we are fighting for the people’s rights. We’re going to make sure that this power resides with the people and not with the politicians,” Patterson noted.

California’s redistricting special election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 4.