Fall ballot -- a muddle of measures
Lynda Gledhill, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau
Monday, September 27, 2004
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Sacramento -- Sixteen ballot measures dealing with everything from stem cell research, to election rules, Indian gambling and health insurance await voters, and the sheer complexity and length of the November ballot are likely to frustrate many voters.
Several measures deal with the same topic or are designed to cancel out a competing initiative. One proposition was ordered split into two by a judge, and another is an orphan that even its authors no longer support.
The muddle may make it even harder for many of the measures to pass, something that is under normal circumstances a daunting challenge, said Darry Sragow, a Democratic political consultant who is not involved in any of the campaigns. Historically, 1 in 3 propositions that are put on the ballot through signature gathering is approved, while measures put on by the Legislature are approved two-thirds of the time.
"Propositions are always confusing to California voters," Sragow said. "They love the fact that propositions exist, since it is the closest thing to direct democracy. But they are inherently suspicious of them, because they believe they are usually not getting the full story."
Supporters and opponents of the ballot measures could spend more than $100 million this fall, but no one proposition appears to stand out in the crowded field, said Bruce Cain, director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley.
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