Alter: Is California GOP Trying to Steal the 2008 Election?

[cal04]

A Red Play for The Golden State
Our way of electing presidents has always been fer-tile ground for mischief. But there's sensible mischief—toying with existing laws and the Constitution to reflect popular will—and then there's the other kind, which tries to rig admission to the Electoral College for strictly partisan purposes. Mischief-makers in California (Republicans) and North Carolina (Democrats) are at work on changes that would subvert the system for momentary advantage and—in ways the political world is only beginning to understand—dramatically increase the odds that a Republican will be elected president in 2008.

Right now, every state except Nebraska and Maine awards all of its electoral votes to the popular-vote winner in that state. So in mammoth California, John Kerry beat George W. Bush and won all 55 electoral votes, more than one fifth of the 270 necessary for election.

Instead of laboring in vain to turn California Red, a clever lawyer for the state Republican Party thought of a gimmicky shortcut. Thomas Hiltachk, who specializes in ballot referenda that try to fool people in the titles and fine print, is sponsoring a ballot initiative for the June 3, 2008, California primary (which now falls four months after the state's presidential primary). The Presidential Election Reform Act would award the state's electoral votes based on who wins each congressional district. Had this idea been in effect in 2004, Bush would have won 22 electoral votes from California, about the same number awarded the winners of states like Illinois or Pennsylvania. In practical terms, adopting the initiative would mean that the Democratic candidate would likely have to win both Ohio and Florida in 2008 (instead of one or the other) to be elected.

Hiltachk, who is lying low for now, is a former campaign lawyer for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The governor's office says Schwarzenegger has no position on the initiative and "had absolutely nothing to do with its development." But whichever way Schwarzenegger goes, several GOP presidential candidates and their financial backers have already offered to help boost the plan. Just interested in good government? They've shown a curious lack of interest in backing the same idea in Red States.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20121791/site/newsweek/

[aquart]

1. Well, of course they are. Ain't got those nifty machines no more.

[Dagaz]

2. Bad Idea

Maine does this but they only have 3 votes. Even if every state did this (which is the only sane way to even think about this) the possibilities of vote fraud and recounts multiplies out of control. It does seem more fair if applied nationally but I see too many problems.

[silvershadow]

3. Question: Where does the Electoral College come from?

Is it part of the constitution?

[MonkeyFunk]

5. of course it is

[silvershadow]

8. how can they do this then? Just asking, my brain is kinda

foggy on the details of the electoral college.

[Selatius]

10. The Constitution allows states to do whatever they want with EC votes.

It doesn't stipulate a winner-take-all system necessarily, nor does it stipulate that electoral votes should be rewarded proportionally. It simply remains mute on the issue, allowing states to decide for themselves.

[Jack Sprat]

4. See your point, for sure. The Repubs are always

scheming and California has always been ripe for nuance. All the many Propositions to evade taxation of property since, like forever, some to mind. This must be challenged and fought with with extreme vigor.

[MonkeyFunk]

6. well, as much as I don't like this idea

nor do I think it's likely to pass in CA, if it were to pass, it wouldn't exactly be "stealing" on the part of the GOP, would it?

[Jack Sprat]

7. Yes, if you aren't going to divide the vote in the other

states. If we are going to change the electoral process, then why not 1 man 1 vote, period? Just count the popular vote nationwide.

[Selatius]

11. The Republicans would essentially veto such a move.

The Electoral College currently gives a slight advantage to smaller, redder states. This is because the number of Electoral Votes has been frozen since the early 20th century concurrently with the number of House seats, 435 in the House with 100 in the Senate. The only change since then has been the admittance of Alaska and Hawaii into the Union.

You need something like 270 EC votes to win.

[MonkeyFunk]

13. Each state is allowed to decide how to allocate

it's electors.

If this passes, and California decides to allocate its electors differently, it's not "stealing" on the part of the GOP.

Maine and Nebraska currently allocate their electors proportionally.

As to why not change it nationwide? It'll never happen - it would require a constitutional amendment approved by three quarters of the states - and you'll never get that many states to voluntarily relinquish the added power the EC gives them.

[Jack Sprat]

14. I see your point. Since Texas is a Red state

and California traditionally Blue, then giving Texas the full boat and dividing California will be a great bonus for Republicans and a torpedo in the munitions compartment for Democrats.

So it's constitutional, fair, and an issue we have to place a lot of energy into opposing. Is that how you see it?

[Jack Sprat]

9. In some conniving way, I think the Repubs

would be eventually gerrymandering the voting districts in states that divide electoral votes to benefit them. I really feel skeptical enough about our electoral system as it is, with the Diebold machines and no paper trails and undervotes and refusing to do statewide recounts, when all that would have done is verify the final count. There are so many new ways that the Repubs have shown us to commit fraud that I am fearful of anything and everything they do in the way of election propositions. Would you agree that there might be cause for suspicion these days?

[Warren DeMontague]

12. Don't lose too much sleep over this one.

They couldn't shove their cockamamie redistricting power grab off on us, they're sure as shit not going to get this through.