Race For '08: Presidential Selection Process Is Under Siege (DiFi Wants EC Abolished Alert)

Sacramento Bee ^ | 09/03/2007 | Peter Hecht

[goldstategop]

A proposed ballot initiative being circulated to change how California awards its presidential electoral votes is so irksome to Sen. Dianne Feinstein that she is vowing to change the U.S. Constitution.

Democrats say the so-called Presidential Electoral Reform Act -- which would throw out the Golden State's winner-take-all system -- is nothing but a ruse to win the Republicans the White House by assuring them at least 20 of California's 55 electoral votes.

"I think this effort to essentially skew the presidential system ... would directly change the election," Feinstein said in an interview.

So California's senior senator said she is determined to at last abolish the Electoral College and guarantee a direct popular vote of the President.

[goldstategop]

DiFi doesn't like the Thomas Hiltachk district election initiative... so she wants the electoral college abolished. The Hiltachk measure would make certain another Democrat could never win the White House. DiFi wants to make certain a Republican could never win the White House. No wonder the Democrats are panicked - if the Hiltachk measure should pass, they can kiss 20 electoral votes in California good-bye. So they have to counter with something to stop it.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[WildcatClan]

IIRC the Hiltachk initiative would work very well. Awarding your votes to a national winner is insane. The citizens in those states will stay home. I know I would, why bother if your vote is just going to be given to a national winner anyway. The Hiltachk initiative as I understand it would give each Congressional District a vote. If it is good enough to represent us in Washington it ought to be good enough to utilize in choosing a President.

[goldstategop]

Agreed. The Democrats will never allow it so they'll make sure their tools on the federal courts in California nullify it or the Legislature just names the electors... for the Democrat, of course.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Always Right]

I hope the idiot Democrats are stupid enough to implement it in California before next election.

[orchid]

I’ve never heard of the reasoning behind giving all the electoral votes in a state to one candidate. In theory, you vote for electors based on your congressional district with the total popular state vote assigning the two electoral votes of senatorial representation. If the idea of “one man, one vote” is applied, the voters in any given district have their votes nullified by voters in other districts. It seems to me as though the Hiltachk initiative would end the disenfranchisement of thousands of voters.