California Electoral College campaign still needs signatures: Backers struggling

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: Los Angeles Times

By Dan Morain, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 1, 2007

SACRAMENTO -- As deadlines came and went, backers of an initiative that could affect the 2008 presidential election continued struggling Friday to gather enough signatures to place the measure before voters. Organizers had set this week as a deadline for wrapping up their petition drive, but said they had not raised the roughly $2 million needed to pay petition circulators. Secretary of State Debra Bowen had recommended a deadline of Nov. 29.

Campaign manager Dave Gilliard said that agents would work through the weekend to obtain the 434,000 valid signatures required to put the Electoral College initiative on next June's ballot and that he expected to submit the names by midweek. Gilliard was less than certain that he would reach his goal of 700,000 names, a number allowing leeway for signatures that might be disqualified. "We won't know until they're collected," he said.

The proposed initiative would alter California's winner-take-all system of awarding its 55 electoral votes. Instead, electors would be allocated based on which candidate captured majorities in individual congressional districts. That could help the eventual Republican presidential nominee in California. With Republicans holding 19 congressional seats, the GOP nominee would presumably win at least that many districts, giving the candidate 19 electoral votes, almost as many as Ohio has....

***

Initiative organizers often miss deadlines and still qualify their measures, but pushing the target date is risky. Once signatures are submitted, local elections authorities must verify them and send them to the secretary of state, who certifies the measure for the ballot.

The initiative has attracted interest among presidential campaigns because of its national implications. Democratic National Party Chairman Howard Dean has said that Democrats could not win the White House without winning all California's 55 electoral votes. This state accounts for more than 10% of the 538 electoral votes nationally, by far the biggest block of any state....

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-initiative1dec01,0,4853228.story?coll=la-home-center

[boricua79]

1. Good!

Either scrap the Electoral College idea all together (one man/woman, one vote), or don't tamper with it to get political advantage within it.

[Keefer]

2. Right.

Either do it nation-wide or don't do it at all. This state does, this state doesn't won't cut it.

[Heywood J]

3. All of those signatures need to be challenged.

We had reports posted here that they were misrepresented, buried in other things, etc. All of those people need to be contacted and asked "Did you understand what you were signing? Do you know your name is on this?"


This has to be one of the most fraudulent schemes in recent history.

[Mz Pip]

4. I am confident that our

Secretary of State will keep a close eye on this.She ran on a platform of election integrity and if there is anything fishy with the signatures, she'll deal with it.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[pinto]

5. Agree, Bowen will be thorough vetting whatever they manage to turn in.

[LibDemAlways]

6. Why would Californians want their electoral

votes diluted by being divvied up? Ahnold, notwithstanding, California is reasonably progressive place - particularly up north - and people get that this is an attempted repuke power grab.

[olddad56]

14. we don't, that is like me asking you 'why would you want a war in Iraq'.

It is a republican dirty trick sort of thing. Like the recall election that put Arnie in office.

[still_one]

17. Same jerk behind it to, darrel issa(sic). However, from what I have heard Arnie

is against the proposition

However, I believe this is a lot different than the recall election. Davis did a lot of damage to himself, by playing both sides of the fence. Of course the cheney gang helped screw him with the contrived enron energy crisis

[still_one]

16. First of all California is not as progressive as you may think. It is actually more independent

The big cities, LA and San Francisco bay area are definitely progressive, and this is why even if it gets on the ballot, I do not think it will win

They are enticing the people to sign it by saying it will make the elections more representative

Of course, we know the real reason. What should be done is a counter measure to counteract this proposition, something like, only if every state uses proportional voting, then should California

[SKKY]

7. We soooooo need to be done with this Electoral College crap...

...when it's obviously being used to "shape" election results, it's time to scrap it.

[L. Coyote]

8. John Dean is wrong. DEMs can and will win either way.

[still_one]

18. I disagree, but the good news is, if it gets on the ballot, it won't pass

In addition, I do not believe it will be ruled Constitutional

[DRoseDARs]

9. So I guess they didn't get enough signatures out of their little "kids with cancer" scam...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/11/21/183815/07

I guess they'll just have to expand the signature scam to cover other childhood diseases.

[davidinalameda]

10. Good

[Patriot_4_Peace]

11. Wingnuts Galore

If the Republicans were so concerned with giving each district a voice then they should be more than willing to do the same in Texas. :sarcasm:

[DeepModem Mom]

12. Indeed, Patriot_4_Peace -- welcome to DU!

[YvonneCa]

13. YAaaay...

...let them struggle. :7

[still_one]

15. I am not sure if it is even Contitutional. I am afraid they will get it on the ballot

but am pretty sure it will lose in the election

[Presidentcokedupfratboy]

19. I haven't seen a single signature gatherer

They must be trying to gather them in other areas, because my area (San Fernando Valley) is so blue, it might as well be black.

[santamargarita]

20. Dirty Tricksters Caught on Video: CBS Evening News Edition

Arno Political Consulting is apparently up to their dirty tricks again by "using children with cancer to try and steal the White House". Their goal is to switch 20 of California’s electoral college votes to the Republicans by using children’s cancer as a bait-and-switch to get people to sign the initiative and place it on the ballot were caught on video tape and aired on CBS Evening News.

"The Courage Campaign has turned over the full-uncut video and documentation by Courage Campaign members that this is part of a pattern by these dirty tricksters. We have officially request a formal investigation into their apparently illegal signature gathering methods by the Secretary of State. Please help us keep the heat on these dirty tricksters by contributing" http://www.actblue.com/

[horse_traderxx]

21. Dirty Tricksters Caught on Video: CBS Evening News Edition

I'm not naive to low handed politics but when ill children are
exploited, man, that's low, low.

[santamargarita]

22. Welcome to DU horse_traderxx

Thanks...