Tuesday, November 06, 2007

California Electoral Votes Imperiled Again?

If you can't beat 'em then sneak in referendum so that you can...

From the AP:

Effort to apportion California's electoral votes raises $540,000
SACRAMENTO—Republican donors have given about $540,000 to help qualify a ballot measure that could give the 2008 GOP presidential candidate a bounty of electoral votes from California.

The group needs to gather about 650,000 valid signatures by the end of the month to qualify the measure for the June ballot. That effort will take at least $2 million, according to David Gilliard, who is managing the campaign.

Gilliard said the campaign has less because it has been raising money for just 10 days.

"A lot of the people on there are capable of contributing quite a bit more," he said. "They're also the types that are able to attract others."

Darrell Issa, a wealthy Republican congressman from the San Diego area, gave $50,000, according to the fundraising report filed Tuesday with the secretary of state's office.

Floyd Kvamme, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist who is supporting Rudy Giuliani for president, also gave $50,000. Jerrold Perenchio, the former head of Univision, gave the same amount.

Currently, California gives all 55 of its Electoral College votes to the statewide winner in the presidential race.

The proposal would change that so the statewide winner received two electoral votes and the rest were apportioned to the winner of each of the state's 53 congressional districts.

Odds are they'll shoot to get this on the ballot by primary day so that low voter turnout will play a huge factor in its passing, Then all they have to do is whip the GOP core in the state into a frenzy and presto the Dems are screwed. Its already been tried and shot down a few mos ago. So the odds are it'll fail again. Speaking as someone that lives in a die hard red state I'd love to see all states adopt this system as I'd actually like for my vote to count on the years I vote for Dem. Presidential candidates. Plus there's the fact that such a system would allow for the creation of viable third parties. And thats a win win situation for us all.

h/t to TMV