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CALIFORNIA: Bill aims to add state to popular-vote movement
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 4/4/11 | Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer

Posted on 04/04/2011 7:43:16 AM PDT by SmithL

California is a population powerhouse that's home to 1 out of 8 American voters and a political ATM that pumps millions into presidential campaign coffers. But the state's solid-blue status and election rules make it "irrelevant" in the presidential sweepstakes every four years, state Assemblyman Jerry Hill says.

Hill, a San Mateo Democrat, and Republican Assemblyman Brian Nestande of Palm Desert (Riverside County) want to change that. The legislators are part of a growing crowd of bipartisan backers of a nationwide campaign to elect presidents by popular vote.

The drive has some powerhouse supporters, including Tom Golisano, the billionaire philanthropist and founder of payroll processing giant Paychex, who is supporting Hill and Nestande in what he calls a "very focused, very well-financed" effort to correct a process that he argues disenfranchises millions of American voters.

"It's not only the fact that we're ignored. We're insulted," Golisano said on a recent tour of California that included a stop at the state GOP convention, where he met with lawmakers, bloggers and influential party voices. He says Republicans and Democrats in the state lose under the current election system, in which states are viewed as "battlegrounds" worthy of attention or "flyovers," as is the case with California.

One reason for the inequity, supporters say, is that the winner of the presidential election is determined not by the nationwide popular vote total but by which candidate accrues the most Electoral College votes. Americans cast votes for the electors in the college, and those electors cast ballots for the president. California has 55 electoral votes because it has 53 congressional districts and two U.S. senators. The system became controversial in the 2000 presidential election when, after a dispute involving ballots in Florida, Republican George W. Bush was awarded that state's electoral votes and won the presidency despite...

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Front Page News; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: briannestande; deathoftherepublic; directdemocracy; electoralcollege; electoralvote; electoralvotes; hellno; jerryhill; mobrule; nationalpopularvote; nestande; popularvote; rino
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1 posted on 04/04/2011 7:43:18 AM PDT by SmithL
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To: SmithL

This is actually a very big deal. Liberals see this as a way to gain absolute power by disenfranchising everyone who doesn’t live in a handful of major cities.

It’s a direct attack on our constitutional republic and should not be ignored.


2 posted on 04/04/2011 7:46:39 AM PDT by Yet_Again
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To: SmithL

Useful idiots. They come in red AND blue flavors.


3 posted on 04/04/2011 7:48:22 AM PDT by wbill
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To: SmithL
That's just peachy! California, New York, and Texas will become the electors of the President and the other 47 will become "flyover" country. Popular vote is "pure democracy" and the death of the Republic.

Regards,
GtG

4 posted on 04/04/2011 7:49:27 AM PDT by Gandalf_The_Gray (I live in my own little world, I like it 'cuz they know me here.)
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To: SmithL
Current tally.

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5 posted on 04/04/2011 7:49:57 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin! (look it up))
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To: Gandalf_The_Gray

The Republic would then indeed become a Democracy, and then devolve into a dictatorship. Not a crytal ball, just an appreciation for history.


6 posted on 04/04/2011 7:53:27 AM PDT by Pecos (Liberty and Honor will not die on my watch.)
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To: FReepers

The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government.

Support Free Republic

7 posted on 04/04/2011 7:54:43 AM PDT by DJ MacWoW (America! The wolves are at your door! How will you answer the knock?)
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To: SmithL

This will save lots of money. If this passes everywhere, then politicians need to campaign in only a dozen cities and perhaps seven counties.

And look at how many city precincts get 99+ turnout, all for democrats.

The rest of us can go about our business without having to vote- the decisions will be made by big-city political organizations!


8 posted on 04/04/2011 7:56:24 AM PDT by DBrow
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To: Yet_Again

Yes, but so far it’s only being done in deep blue states like CA and MA. If only blue states do it (and it is unlikely red states would do it exactly for the reasons you point out), then it means a Democrat cannot get elected President unless he wins the popular vote, and any GOP candidate who wins the popular vote will necessarily have an electoral landslide.


9 posted on 04/04/2011 7:57:54 AM PDT by Thane_Banquo (Mitt Romney: He's from Harvard, and he's here to help.)
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To: SmithL

If they want a true representation of voter intent, copy the states of Maine and Nebraska.....the presidential candidate that carries each congressional district receives one electoral vote per district.

Of course, this would never be allowed in California, because the Republicans would capture half of the state’s electoral votes. The heavily populated coastal counties (and congressional districts) are blue; the inland areas are mostly red.


10 posted on 04/04/2011 8:00:33 AM PDT by july4thfreedomfoundation (A Jimmy Carter got us a Ronald Reagan......A Barack Obama will get us a Sarah Palin)
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To: cripplecreek

Wow! Eject the Red and Orange states from the Union!


11 posted on 04/04/2011 8:03:08 AM PDT by DCBryan1 (FORGET the lawyers...first kill the "journalists". (Die Ritter der Kokosnuss))
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To: july4thfreedomfoundation
What does Maine and Nebraska due with the two electoral votes they get from their Senators?
12 posted on 04/04/2011 8:05:15 AM PDT by HenpeckedCon (What pi$$es me off the most is that POS commie will get a State Funeral!)
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To: DCBryan1

Fortunately its dead here in Michigan since the GOP takeover.


13 posted on 04/04/2011 8:05:22 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin! (look it up))
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To: Thane_Banquo

It could backfire on the Dems.

And I’m hoping it does!

Because, as it stands, GOP candidates will campaign HARD in GOP-leaning states (none of which have enacted this law), AND blue states since raw numbers will help them.


14 posted on 04/04/2011 8:24:25 AM PDT by RockinRight (C'mon people - enough with the FR circular firing squad.)
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To: SmithL

NEVER. THis must never happen. The Constitution/ Founding Fathers hashed over this long and hard, for very good reasons. Their Compromise should stand. In fact, how can the Constitution be voted on, for and against?


15 posted on 04/04/2011 8:24:40 AM PDT by bboop (Stealth Tutor)
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To: bboop

If it does, this union is dead.

LLS


16 posted on 04/04/2011 8:26:32 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (WOLVERINES!!!)
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To: RockinRight

It would also be difficult for the Democratic candidate to spend money and time campaigning in suburbs and red-leaning swing districts, since the Dem would have to win the popular vote by deeply mining the blue urban areas that he otherwise wouldn’t have to worry about.


17 posted on 04/04/2011 8:27:53 AM PDT by Thane_Banquo (Mitt Romney: He's from Harvard, and he's here to help.)
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To: SmithL
The article doesn't include the fact the NPV movement is Unconstitutional. It requires a compact between the states. Article 1 Section 10 of the Constitution states "No state shall, without consent of Congress, enter into any agreement or compact with another state".

Amendment XII specifies Electors are to vote for President: "The person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be President, if such a number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed"

The NPV movement will be a fundamental change to the Constitution as it will repeal Amendment XII. Any change in the Constitution can only occur per the Amendment processes in Amendment V of the Constitution. Either one of those processes requires input from the people via the states. The NPV movement is deliberately seeking to omit the people from the equation by not complying with Amendment V and therefore is also Unconstitutional for this reason in addition to Article 1 Section 10.
18 posted on 04/04/2011 8:31:39 AM PDT by Defend Liberty
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To: Yet_Again

They should call their plan what it is, Democracy, the worst posible form of government!


19 posted on 04/04/2011 8:37:32 AM PDT by dalereed
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To: SmithL

That’s just stoopid. It already works that way due to gerry mandering and if this passes they will have a lock on Dem’s forever.


20 posted on 04/04/2011 8:39:33 AM PDT by Vendome ("Don't take life so seriously... You'll never live through it anyway")
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