California Democrats push popular vote measure

[ruggerson]

Source: Los Angeles Times

The proposed initiative competes with a Republican effort to make the state's electoral vote system proportional.

By Dan Morain, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer August 22, 2007
SACRAMENTO — Democrats on Tuesday proposed putting on a 2008 ballot an initiative aimed at having California join the movement to elect presidents by popular vote.

The initiative, if successful, also would head off a Republican effort to get some of California's electoral votes.

GOP consultants have proposed a separate initiative to change California's winner-take-all system of awarding its 55 electoral votes. Under this measure, electoral votes would be awarded by how congressional districts vote, which could benefit the Republican nominee in this state with more registered Democrats.

If the competing measures make it onto the ballot in June or November, California could become a battleground over the electoral college, whose electors ultimately select the president and vice president. The state has more electoral votes than any other and more than 10% of the electoral college's 538.

(more)

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-vote22aug22,1,3955462.story?coll=la-news-a_section

[movonne]

1. This is good...

[Liberty Belle]

2. I don't think this is a good idea.

If I vote for someone, I want my state to give its electoral votes to that candidate. We should never, ever allow California to be beholden to the will of other states -- especially now that Bowen is tossing out the voting machines and giving us the opportunity to have fair and free elections, which many other states don't have!

Wake up, Democrats, and smell the coffee. This is not a good proposal!

[ruggerson]

3. Um, read the article

it's a strategic move to head off this sleazy Republican ballot move to try and steal some electoral votes from California.

It's a wondrous thing of beauty when Republicans squeal like stuck pigs.

[ohio2007]

4. honestly, how would a third party canidate do with breaking up the winner take all

rule ?
I believe proportional vote splitting should be thrown into the mix. imo, it gives more meaning to the popular vote.

[ruggerson]

5. you can't break up winner take all

in one state at a time. If it happens in California, it's got to occur simultaneously in red states as well: Texas and FLorida.

The only fair way to do this proportional thing is to have it go into effect nationwide at the same time.

Otherwise, it's just a Republican ploy to steal electoral votes in a major blue state.

[onewholaughsatfools]

6. true, but it's a state issue

and each state has to vote and approve it. I like it and as they use to say as california goes so does the rest of the country, it just takes about 10 years.......

[ruggerson]

9. no the way to do it is to pass it conditionally

and have it only take effect when all the other states have passed similar measures.

[Liberty Belle]

8. 2 wrongs don't make a right.

The Republican measure is terrible, but this is a Pandora's box as well.

better to launch a drive to dissuade people from signing the petitions and if the GOP measures gets on the ballot anyhow, launch a major ad campaign with funding from all over the country to block it.

Besides, even if this measure qualifies for the ballot, there's no guarantee that the GOP version won't also. Both could pass, or neither, or just one. So what does this really accomplish?

[xxqqqzme]

10. my thoughts exactly - educate people not to

sign the petitions - we talked about this last night @ DFA.


Don't sign dummies!

[msongs]

7. dear CA dems - the repub issue violates the US constitution - should be kept off the ballot

US constitution says the legislatures determine how electoral votes are dispersed.

doh.

well maybe the CA dems have never read the US constitution. they dont seem to have in regards to bush's activities.

msongs
www.msongs.com

[Hosnon]

12. The proposal may not be unconstitutional.

Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 provides that "[e]ach state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress ...."

I am unfamiliar with how California's referendum system works but it could be argued that the legislature has consented, either implicitly or explicitly (by statute), to the law if passed.

[Joanne98]

11. I don't get it. How come they didn't just put a ballot on that blocked the thugs..

It's apples and oranges. I'm a Californian living in Ohio and my CA friends don't seem to be paying attention at all.