Human Errors on Ballot Pamphlet to Cost $1 Million

SACRAMENTO — Eight significant errors in 10.8 million state ballot pamphlets will force the state to spend an extra $1 million of taxpayers’ money to reprint the documents.

Human errors and late changes from the Legislature to the 160-page pamphlet--the largest in state history--are to blame, said Anthony Miller, chief deputy secretary of state.

“We are publishers this time of year and we have all of the headaches and heartbreaks of that business,” Miller said.

The eight errors missed by state proofreaders were found in the first two 48-page portions of the five-section pamphlet that contains information on state ballot proposals, analyses by state officials and the pros and cons of each initiative.

Miller said the voters’ pamphlet project costs $6 million.

“We are absolutely adamant that voters receive accurate information on a timely basis,” Miller said. “The errors were of such significance that we have directed the state printer to simply reprint.”

The pamphlets must be mailed to voters between Sept. 29 and Oct. 18. Miller said the state will meet that deadline. The election is Nov. 8.

Miller said the 4 million copies of the first two 48-page portions of the pamphlet had been printed on newsprint. Those copies will be recycled, he said.

In the future, Miller said, the state will hire more proofreaders to review the pamphlet more carefully.