CA Senate backs plan to give its 55 electoral votes to popular vote winner

[elehhhhna]

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Senate backs plan to give electoral votes to popular vote winner
DON THOMPSON
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO - California would cast its 55 Electoral College votes for the winner of the national popular vote under a bill designed to change the way the president is elected and increase the state's influence in national elections.

The bill, approved Tuesday by the Senate, would help draw candidates to the nation's most populous state for intensive campaigning, said Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Redondo Beach, who carried the bill in the Senate.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sa...po/15335555.htm
Not sure what to think about this...

[yurbud]

1. the only thing I don't like about this is in states where GOP is free

to rig votes and intimidate voters, they can run up big popular totals that will swamp the states that have enacted good election protection measures.

All other things being equal though, this is a good idea.

That one thing is pretty big though.

[Ignacio Upton]

2. I like the idea of applying this in all 50 states

But to have California alone do it would fuck us in close elections. Had this move been in place in 2004, and had Blackwell not screwed over voters in Ohio, then Kerry would have lost anyway because Bush still won the popular vote. The only thing worse, I suppose, would be to have proportional allocation of electoral votes based on margain of victory in each Congressional District. That would lead to hyper-gerrymandering.

[RB TexLa]

3. I'd love to see how much California broadcasters paid to get this idea

being discussed.

[longship]

4. I would prefer by district proportion.

With at-large going to the top pop vote getter.

In other words, like Maine does now.

[cyclezealot]

5. So if BUsh wins the nation

and Bush looses in a landslide in California, California votes Repug. Why would i then bother to vote, if polls showed the repugs winning. So Mississippi, South Carolina would determine California's electors.
Agree with the fact the electoral college is bunk, but still?

[elehhhhna]

6. brilliant analysis. thank you.

[dogday]

7. Bingo, just another way

to cancel your vote... This is my humble opinion, sucks eggs....:shrug:

[marions ghost]

8. I was wondering

if that could happen. This is a terrible idea.

[DemonFighterLives]

10. I had to go back - the word National

Goll, I thought they were talking about CA popular vote.
This would be a bogus plan if that is the case.
What possible good could that be?

[Blackhatjack]

9. Dumb idea. Does the Opposite of What They Want ....

... there will be no candidates coming to California to campaign. They will concentrate on other states to up their national totals since they are going to get California's 55 electoral votes even if they lose the California popular vote.

Look behind the curtain folks, just like deregulating electricity in California --and you know how well that worked out, right?

[crikkett]

11. help! Can't follow the link!

I get a blank page in mozilla and IE. :(

[ramblin_dave]

12. Here's the link...

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/15335555.htm

[Strawman]

13. only works if every state does it

CA shouldn't dilute it's vote any further than it already is.