Controversial California ballot initiative may live still

Remember the electoral college ballot initiative in California? The one that would change the state's method of allocating electoral votes from winner-take-all to a congressional district-based approach? Gov. Schwarzenegger was either for it or against it.

It stalled last month when its original proponent, GOP election lawyer Tom Hiltachk, quit the campaign, followed by its spokesman, Kevin Eckery, and signature gatherer, Mike Arno. They had been unable to raise the $2 million needed to qualify the measure.

Democrats had run a strong and highly effective national campaign against the initiative, labeling it a dirty trick. And federal and state officials had been investigating the initiative's one major donation -- $175,000 that turned out to be from a backer of Rudy Giuliani, Paul Singer.

But in recent days, the state's network of signature gatherers has been abuzz with talk that the initiative is not quite dead. GOP consultant Ed Rollins has told California backers of the measure that he has cash lined up, according to three sources reached by The Times. (Rollins did not immediately return phone calls.)

Dave Gilliard, a Republican consultant in Sacramento who was involved in shepherding the recall petition against Gray Davis to the ballot, is reportedly involved. (Reached Monday, Gilliard declined to comment.) Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) has committed to a donation, according to the sources. A signature gatherer who works in the South Bay area of Los Angeles said he was carrying the initiative petition.

Arno, owner of the petition company that handled an earlier signature-gathering effort, flew back to California from a trip to Russia on Monday to oversee the effort. There are reasons to be skeptical. The deadline for qualifying the initiative for the June 2008 ballot (so that it could take effect before next year's presidential election) is Nov. 13, although such deadlines can be pushed.

Insiders familiar with the initiative and the many obstacles it faces scoff at the notion that Rollins can raise the many millions needed to meet the fast-approaching deadline for gathering hundreds of thousands of valid signatures of registered voters. No formal report of any new donation has been filed with the secretary of state's office. (Donations of $5,000 or more to any initiative must be disclosed within 10 business days.)

The complete news story is available here and in Tuesday's print editions.

-- Joe Mathews

Comments

[joreko]

As long as 70% of the people disapprove of the current system of electing the President, proposals to divide electoral votes (either by congressional district or proportionally) will continue to pop up in states selected for partisan reasons.

A national popular vote is the way to make every person’s vote equal, and to guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who gets the most votes in all 50 states (and DC).

The National Popular Vote bill would not take effect piecemeal, but only when enacted, in identical form, by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes --- that is, enough electoral votes to elect a President (270 of 538). When the bill is enacted in a group of states possessing 270 or more electoral votes, all of the electoral votes from those states would be awarded, as a bloc, to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC). The bill would thus guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC).

The National Popular Vote bill has 364 legislative sponsors in 47 states. It has been signed into law in Maryland. Since its introduction in February 2006, the bill has passed by 11 legislative houses (one house in Colorado, Arkansas, and North Carolina, and two houses in Maryland, Illinois, Hawaii, and California).

See www.NationalPopularVote.com

[Wondering]

How much money are Dunsmore and Rollins making off of this?

[D.Woodward]

Here they go again,the republicans never give up,this ballot thing they are trying to pass is just anather power grab on their part.