Backers of California Initiative to Allocate Electoral Votes Voice Growing Optimism

[babylonsister]

Backers of California Initiative to Allocate Electoral Votes Voice Growing Optimism
By Rachel Kapochunas, CQ Staff


After a major setback threatened to derail their efforts in October, Republicans are expressing confidence that enough signatures will be gathered by the end of this month to place an initiative on California’s June ballot allocating electoral votes by congressional district rather than the current winner-take-all system.

Democrats have labeled the measure a “power grab.”

Supporters had collected just over 400,000 signatures total as of last week, according to political consultant Dave Gilliard, who is the campaign manager for California Counts, the group spearheading the signature-gathering effort. He said about 100,000 signatures came from the previous group collecting signatures.

Gilliard said California Counts is aiming for 650,000 to 700,000 signatures by the end of November — substantially above the required 433,971 signatures.

Gilliard, who helped form a committee to recall California Democratic Gov. Gray Davis in 2003, said that any initiative group can typically expect one out of every four signatures obtained on the street to be thrown out as invalid. Therefore, California Counts is supplementing their signature-gathering on the street with direct mail, which Gilliard said has a validity rate over 90 percent, and an Internet campaign. He stated that the group collected between 4,000 and 5,000 petitions through the Internet as of last week.

“We’re on a good pace,” Gilliard said. “I think we’re going to make it, but it’s a challenge every day.”

more...

http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=news-000002632136

[yourout]

1. If it gets on the ballot the wording for this baby will be twisted as hell.

This MUST be stopped.

[Mz Pip]

2. You've got that right

The initiatve process in California has turned into a special interest feeding trough. I usually vote no on them just on general principal. But the wording! Yikes! You have to be a contract lawyer to understand any of it. Proponents and opponents get to submit their considerations for the voter's guide but most of it is just spin.

I consider myself a well educated and well informed voter and I find this process confusing. I suspect that most people just give the discriptions of the initiatives a cursory glance and think, "well, that sounds good," neglecting to read the fine print - like how much it will cost and potential ramifications down the line.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[msongs]

3. USA/CA constitution specifies only the legislature can say how to apportion electoral votes nt