CA: Cluttered ballot confuses voters (16 Propositions!)

OC Register ^ | 11/1/04 | Micheal R. Blood - AP

[NormsRevenge]

LOS ANGELES – It's the stem cell embryonic three strikes open government closed primary DNA children's hospitals Indian gambling 911 shakedown lawsuits mental health election.

Confused?

So are a lot of voters.

Choosing a president is easy this year - pick red or blue. But Californians are facing a catalog of ballot questions so challenging - 16 in all, more than any other state - that almost everyone at one early voting location was clutching a cheat sheet to keep the numbers and issues straight.

"I find it incredibly confusing, and I'm resentful," said Los Angeles artist Shelley Adler, who was shuffling toward the voting booth at a downtown library last week. "I'm very smart, and it's difficult for me."

With conflicting information in TV ads and pouring into mailboxes, "It's almost a stab in the dark," said schoolteacher Paula Scarborough of Glendora, who was consulting scribbled notes while waiting to vote. "I always feel like I'm being fooled."

It's not the first time voters have faced an Election Day puzzle under California's system of direct democracy, in which anyone who collects enough signatures can place a proposal on the ballot. Yet this year is far from the worst.

The record for a cluttered ballot was set in 1914, when voters had to sift through 48 questions. Since 1912, state elections have averaged 18 ballot questions, according to the Initiative & Referendum Institute at the University of Southern California.

[NormsRevenge]

I don't know about you but I feeeel so short changed,, only 16. ;-)

[jneesy]

the prop thing in cali has gotten way out of hand they are going to have to fix it or it will take down the state

[jneesy]

the prop thing in cali has gotten way out of hand they are going to have to fix it or it will take down the state

[luckodeirish]

Don't most of these look familiar to you, but perhaps just re-worded?

[BenLurkin]

Easy. Just vote "no".

[NormsRevenge]

Don't most of these look familiar to you, but perhaps just re-worded?

Good thing there are only so many ways to fleece the sheeple. ;-)

Some props are variations on other props also on the ballot, it's a mind messer, for sure.

[dalereed]

"the prop thing in cali has gotten way out of hand they are going to have to fix it or it will take down the state"

No one had better mess with our ability to put propositions on the ballot, it's our only salvation!

Anyone that is confused by the ballot has no business voting, they have the mentality of a rock.

[aroostook war]

"I'm very smart, and it's difficult for me."
That sums up the California attitude very nicely.

[Michael.SF.]

you beat me to it.

[Lizavetta]

It's not the first time voters have faced an Election Day puzzle under California's system of direct democracy, in which anyone who collects enough signatures can place a proposal on the ballot.

Am I the only one that thinks all these referendums and propositions allow the politicians to foist controversial decisions out of their own laps and onto the public's? They have staffs to decipher the legalese, they have the resposibility to make good decisions for their constituents...and instead they get to avoid the fallout of a yes or no vote. They can always say, "hey, I didn't vote for that...the voters did. Sorry."

The average voter can't find Iraq on a map. To think he is able to understand the multiple pages of small print legalspeak is utterly ridiculous.

[NormsRevenge]

lol.. Pass the buck artists are a dime a dozen these days in sacramento.

[NormsRevenge]

I finally sat down today and filled out my sample ballot,, I have more Yes'es than I thought I would,, 4 and all the local measures (8) get a big No...

[Serb5150]

"I find it incredibly confusing, and I'm resentful," said Los Angeles artist Shelley Adler, who was shuffling toward the voting booth at a downtown library last week. "I'm very smart, and it's difficult for me."

You sound stupid already. I didn't have a problem with the ballot, deal with it.

[glorgau]

All the propositions on the ballot are a direct consequence of the current legislature's disconnect from the population. Gerrymandering is the problem.

IMHO, Change will come when there is a proposition that breaks the lock that political insiders have on districting. Perhaps something that requires state and federal districts to be mapped as closely as possible to local political boundaries - like counties, cities, townships, etc. It would certainly change the dynamics of political interaction in the state. For now, it's devolving into government by proposition. Expect it to get worse before it gets better.

[CyberAnt]

This is great for CA - it's the only way the PEOPLE of CA can make their voices heard. Now .. we just need to get some conservatives on the courts so they will stop overturning our votes.

[heleny]

For now, it's devolving into government by proposition.

That's partly due to the low turnout of the 2002 Davis-Simon gubernatorial election. The signature thresholds for initiatives (5% for statutory and 8% for constitutional amendments) are based on the votes in the last gubernatorial election, so the signature requirements will be low until after 2006.

[Chaguito]

I agree with you. With the flood of information available, this is not that big a deal in CA. We have the whiniest electorate of any nation I know (I've been through elections in three, two of them Latin American - no whining)

[oldbrowser]

Don't most of these look familiar to you, but perhaps just re-worded?

They keep trying to run the same initiatives past the public every year. Maybe we should have an initiative that limits initiatives to three strikes.

[luckodeirish]

Ha! Good idea!