This page most recently updated on October 5, 2007
Dear Fellow-Democrat,
I've been following this closely since Hendrik Hertzberg broke the news in the August 6 New Yorker. You can read my series of posts at The Broad View.
It is almost impossible to keep track of the players without a scorecard. I hope this page will help.
Join with me to make this information as robust as possible. Please chime in at The Broad View with any pertinent links you come across Thanks!
— Ellen Dana Nagler
"So beware the next time you see one of those friendly paid signature gatherers on the street. Read the fine print. Ask questions. Then keep on walking. The best way to stop the Republicans’ latest cynical ploy is to keep it from getting on the ballot."
— Rep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena - 1st CD) in the Napa Valley Register
The California Democratic Party weighs in with good info and action items
Though the original sponsors of this initiative are purported to have pulled out, leading Courage Campaign and others to declare victory, I've noted that "it's not over till it's over."
And it's NOT over.
Today, California Democratic Party chair, Art Torres, writes:
What a difference a week makes!
Last Friday I told you that although Republicans were said to be pulling the plug on their "Steal the State" plot to nab 22 of California's electoral votes, Democrats must remain vigilant. Unfortunately you can see from yesterday's Associated Press article that some Republicans are still pursuing this dirty trick.
Corrupt and unscrupulous political Republican hacks never let up - and we won't either.
This means we need to keep talking to our friends and neighbors, remain on the look-out for people collecting signatures, and doing whatever we can to prevent this Republican "Steal the State " plot.
Help the California Democratic Party fight back!
Background
08/06/07 The New Yorker, "Votescam"
The competing initiatives
Republicans
— Californians for Equal Representation (text in .pdf format)Democrats
— Californians for Fair Election Reform (Version 1, Version 2)And who the hell are these guys (CURE "California United to Reform Elections")??? Their initiative was received in the Attorney General's office on August 27. I read it quickly — and it doesn't pass the smell test. Besides, it appears to be very badly drafted. Some clarification on this soon, I hope. [Update 09/05/2007: Tom Gangale and John Marelius have the skinny.]
You can track the progress of the initiatives at the Secretary of State's website. The Republican initiative has been approved for circulation. (To qualify for the June ballot, it must get 433,971 signatures by February 4, 2008.) The others are pending at the AG's office, awaiting title and summary.
Analysis
FindLaw, "The So-Called Presidential Election Reform Act: A Clear Abuse of California's Initiative Process" by Vikrim David Amar
FairVote, "Fuzzy Math" — Summary
FairVote, "Fuzzy Math" — Close analysis (.pdf)
Harvard Journal on Legislation — Updating the Electoral College (.pdf)
This is an eminently readable three-part series on Electoral College reform by the remarkable Amar Brothers, law professors at Yale and Hastings —
#1 (11/30/01), #2 (12/14/01), #3 (12/31/01)
In the blogs
Ellen Nagler's ongoing series at The Broad View [Most recent post: 24-Sep-2007]
08/06/07 Frank D. Russo, California Progress Report
08/16/07 Sen. Barbara Boxer, The Huffington Post
08/21/07 Frank D. Russo, California Progress Report
08/29/07 Thomas Gangale, California Progress Report [Editor's note: This is a hoot; it contextualizes the math in baseball terms]
08/31/07 Julia Rosen, Calitics
More press (print and online) coverage
08/06/07 Los Angeles Times, "GOP eyes California's electoral pie"
08/12/07 Oakland Tribune, "Ballot measure seeks to change '08 election"
08/13/07 Christian Science Monitor, "Will California alter '08 race?"
08/22/07 San Francisco Chronicle, "In defense of 55 electoral votes"
08/22/07 Los Angeles Times, "California Dems push [NPV] measure"
08/23/07 Media Matters, re Fox "News" report
08/27/07 St. Petersburg [FL] Times, "A simple reform: count all votes"
08/29/07 Orange County Register, "'Reform' for losers"
09/02/07 San Diego Union-Tribune, "3 initiatives in works to change winner-takes-all"
Links