Swing States & Ballot Initiatives

[Essene]

There will be 100+ ballot initiatives in 30 states, this November.

As we've seen in the last 2 presidential elections, ballot initiatives can be used by the GOP to galvanize social conservatives and the evengelicals. Since Mccain's strength amongst evangelicals is very weak compared to Bush in 2004, we can expect the GOP to really be pushing the ballot initiatives as wedge issues. While state polls may be fun to follow, the bigger question is going to be voter turn-out.

THE SWING STATES:

Ohio - 20 ev
Virginia - 13 ev
Indiana - 11 ev
*Minnesota - 10 ev
Wisconsin - 10 ev
*Colorado - 9 ev
Nevada - 5 ev
West Virginia - 5 ev
New Hampshire - 4 ev
*Florida
*Oregon
Montana
New Mexico
*Michigan
Pennsylvania
*Missouri

BALLOT INITIATIVES 2008

I may have missed some.

• http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
  
• http://www.ncsl.org/programs/legismgt/elect/dbintro.htm
  
• http://www.ballot.org/

COLORADO
- A civil rights constitutional amendment
- Defines life as starting at fertilization

FLORIDA
- Gay marriage, constitutional marriage
- Constitutional amendment pertaining right of aliens ineligible for citizenship to possess real property

OREGON
- English only

MICHIGAN
- medical marijuana
- stem cell research, constitutional amendment

MINNESOTA
- Environmental policy, constitutional amendment

MISSOURI
- English only

These are all initiatives likely to stir up social conservatives more than it will galvanize the left's turn-out.

[Essene]

1. The Economist has a funny article on this issue...

http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12263114



I suspect they are right, tho, that Colorado's initiative will get out DEMOCRATS and pro-choice moderates in force.