Arnold Schwarzenegger,  Electoral Reform California Initiative,  Presidential Electors Initiative

Presidential Electors Initiative Watch: Initiative in Circulation for June 2008

Graphic Courtesy of California Majority Report

Another California initiative – “The Presidential Electors Initiative” changing the distribution of Presidential electoral College votes (winner take all to by Congressional district) was approved for circulation yesterday. Previously the Electoral Reform California Initiative qualified and is currently circulating for signatures.

The initiative is here and the complete text is here.

Two competing GOP sponsored initiatives with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger apparently opposed with lukewarm initial poll support and massive Democrat Party opposition yields this scenario:

1. Funds are raised from Presidential candidates and GOP donors to qualify the initiative(s) for the June 2008 California ballot.

2. Since support is so-so from the California GOP and voters, supporters will FEIGN a campaign forcing Democrats to spend campaign resources to “MAKE SURE” the initiative(s) do not pass.

Flap thinks both initiatives have merit and with a low turn-out election in June you never know.

But, Flap DOES know that the Democrats will spend mega-dollars on their media campaign and cause them grief and election angst.

Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean accused Republicans of trying to “rig” the 2008 presidential contest and vowed Wednesday to do “whatever it takes within legal boundaries” to stop a California ballot measure that would change how the state casts its 55 Electoral College votes.

Dean, who called the initiative a “Tom Delay/Karl Rove-type maneuver…”

Stay tuned…….

Previous:

Electoral Reform California Initiative Watch: Schwarzenegger Cool To Initiative

Electoral Reform California Initiative Watch: Field Poll – 47% Favor vs. 35% Oppose

Electoral Reform California Initiative Could Split California Presidential Votes Part III – Opposition Forms

Electoral Reform California Initiative Could Split California Presidential Votes Part II

Electoral Reform California Initiative Could Split California Presidential Votes

North Carolina Ready to Change Electoral College Presidential Selection Rules for 2008


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2 Comments

  • joreko

    The ballot measure to divide California’s 55 electoral votes by congressional district would magnify the worst features of our antiquated system of electing the President.

    If the district approach were used nationally, it would less accurately reflect the will of the people than the current system. Although Bush lost the national popular vote in 2000, he won 55% of the country’s congressional districts. In 2004, Bush won 50.7% of the popular vote, but 59% of the districts. Obviously, if the district approach were installed in only one large state (such as California), it would greatly increase the chance that the winner of the presidential election would not have received the most votes nationwide.

    The district approach would not, as claimed, make California relevant in presidential elections. Candidates have no reason to campaign in districts (or states) where they are comfortably ahead or hopelessly behind. Currently, candidates concentrate over two-thirds of their money and visits on just six closely divided “battleground” states, and 99% of their expenditures in just 16 states. Thus, two thirds of the states are ignored in presidential elections (including California). In California, the presidential race is a foregone conclusion in 50 of the state’s 53 congressional districts. Candidates would have no incentive than they do now to pay attention to California remaining 50 districts. Even if the district approach were used nationally, there are only 55 “battleground” districts that are competitive in presidential elections, so seven-eighths of the county would be left out of presidential elections. This is even worse than the current system, where two-thirds of the states are spectators.

    A national popular vote is the way to guarantee that the candidate who gets the most votes in all 50 states becomes President. It is the way to make every person’s vote relevant, regardless of where that person lives.

    The National Popular Vote bill would take effect only when enacted, in identical form, by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes—that is, enough electoral votes to elect a President. When the legislation is in effect in that sized group of states, all of the electoral votes in the participating states would be awarded to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Thus, the National Popular Vote bill would guarantee that the presidential candidate who receives the most votes in all 50 states will win the Presidency.

    The bill has 320 legislative sponsors in 47 states. It has been signed into law in Maryland. The bill has passed by 11 legislative houses since its introduction in February 2006 (one house in Colorado, Arkansas, and North Carolina, and two houses in Maryland, Illinois, Hawaii, and California).

    See http://www.NationalPopularVote.com

  • Flap

    Nahhhh this is not the way to go.

    The Founding Fathers recognized that a popular vote of the President would favor large population states over the smaller ones.

    In today’s blue states vs. red state the Democrats would have the edge.

    Won’t happen.