Posted on 12/01/2004 6:14:40 PM PST by SmithL
SACRAMENTO -- Two Republican lawmakers plan to introduce a bill Monday that would award California's most-in-the-nation electoral votes by congressional districts, a step they say would make it "the leading battleground state for all future elections."
Democrat John Kerry won California's 55 electoral votes on Nov. 2 by taking more than 54 percent of the popular vote.
But if the legislation by Assemblymen John Benoit, R-Palm Desert, and Tom Harman, R-Huntington Beach, had been in effect Kerry and President Bush would have split the state's electoral votes because of Bush's strong showing in the state's inland areas and a few coastal counties.
Under the Benoit-Harman bill, a presidential candidate would get one electoral vote for each of the state's 53 congressional districts in which he or she had the most votes.
Two electoral votes would be awarded to the candidate who got the most popular votes statewide.
Two other states, Maine and Nebraska, use the same type of system. But Colorado voters this year rejected a plan that would have divided that state's electoral votes based on each presidential candidate's share of the popular vote.
Harman and Benoit said their bill would make presidential elections more democratic, increase turnout and discourage candidates from ignoring California. This year there was little campaigning in the state by either Bush or Kerry because Kerry's big lead in the polls.
"It's a slap in the face of California voters that our 55 electoral votes, the largest block in the country, are given to one candidate without anything more than a token campaign being launched in our state," said Benoit. "This bill will bring California back onto the national playing field."
But their bill could face tough going. Both houses of the Legislature, which begins its 2005 session on Monday, are dominated by Democrats,
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
What a grand idea.
All the Democrats who were for this in Colorado will now line up against it in California. It's called hypocrisy.
I'm not sure if this is a good idea. It would lead to tinkering with the process in every state, according to which party would benefit and which party happened to be in control, and probably it would also lead to interference in the process by judges, who have already imposed all sorts of redistricting decisions on the state legislatures.
LET EVERY VOTE COUNT!
I am waiting for Republicans to do the same in Illinois, Michigan, Pennsyvannia, New York, and New Jersey.
Bush would have won Michigan had it not been for Wayne County, Illinois if not for Cooke Co.
I am sure that the California guy that paid for the Colorado initiative that failed will help with the same in California.
Have you looked at a county by county map recently?
Imagine if you 'democratized' Maryland and Pennsylvania? I won't even get into New York or New Jersey.
Where would the demos counter? Florida? Please. Texas?
This would kill the DNC.
Odds are it will never be adopted.
Sure, if we could have all those CA red districts, I'd give 'em the 1 blue of 8 here in IN.
We ought to do this across the country.
Had a system given the elector per district, plus 2 to the winner of the state, Bush would have won 6 out of 10 Minnesota's Electoral vote.
Actually just doing this in CA would make winning the presidency a near impossibility for the Dems.
CA is worth a sure 55 for the Dems now. Diving this by pop (not what is proposed I know but I'm too lazy to find the exact results), would have given Kerry 30 and Bush 25.
Illinois would be Iowa if not for Cook County. :)
"Two Republican lawmakers plan to introduce a bill Monday that would award California's most-in-the-nation electoral votes by congressional districts, a step they say would make it "the leading battleground state for all future elections." "
I don't know about this year, but in 2000, it would have given Bush a 20 point or so bump in the EV total. There are many 90% Democrat districts in the cities, but almost no 90% Republican districts to compensate. Our votes are spread out among more districts.
The Divine Hand of Providence helped the Founders, and we should leave it alone as much as possible, for as long as possible.
"Had a system given the elector per district, plus 2 to the winner of the state, Bush would have won 6 out of 10 Minnesota's Electoral vote."
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