Bill Will Now Pass To Senate
By Nannette Miranda
Published May 31st 2006 in ABC7news
The California State Assembly became the second legislative body
behind Colorado today to approve their plan to change the way Americans
elect a president.
It started as a dream for these two bay area men. Now, people are actually
listening.
Barry Fadem of The National Popular Vote: "If a bill were to be passed and
signed into law in California, then we think that would provide significant
momentum for this effort."
Like most states, California currently has a "winner-take-all" approach,
giving 55 electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins in this
state. The proposal would instead give those 55 electoral votes to whoever
won the popular vote nationwide, regardless of who Californians voted for.
Assemblyman Tom Umberg sponsored the bill to make the golden state count.
Tom Umberg: "The 11 or 12 battleground states largely determine who's
president of the united states. So a very small number of people in the
country make a decision for all of us."
Assemblyman Chuck Devore: "That's not what our constitution calls for. It
calls for an electoral college system where each state determines how its
Electoral College vote is allocated."
Had this change been made before 2000, Al Gore would have been elected
president. It would not have changed the results in 2004, President Bush
won by 3 million votes.
But neither the president nor democrat John Kerry campaigned in California,
knowing the 55 electoral votes would safely go to the democrat. This new
plan could change that.
Fadem again: "There are 36 states like California that are non-battleground
states. So in those states, your vote for president doesn't count."
The proposal would only go into effect if enough states agree to the same
plan. Combined, they must equal 270 electoral votes, enough to elect a
president. California's version now heads to the senate.
behind Colorado today to approve their plan to change the way Americans
elect a president.
It started as a dream for these two bay area men. Now, people are actually
listening.
Barry Fadem of The National Popular Vote: "If a bill were to be passed and
signed into law in California, then we think that would provide significant
momentum for this effort."
Like most states, California currently has a "winner-take-all" approach,
giving 55 electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins in this
state. The proposal would instead give those 55 electoral votes to whoever
won the popular vote nationwide, regardless of who Californians voted for.
Assemblyman Tom Umberg sponsored the bill to make the golden state count.
Tom Umberg: "The 11 or 12 battleground states largely determine who's
president of the united states. So a very small number of people in the
country make a decision for all of us."
Assemblyman Chuck Devore: "That's not what our constitution calls for. It
calls for an electoral college system where each state determines how its
Electoral College vote is allocated."
Had this change been made before 2000, Al Gore would have been elected
president. It would not have changed the results in 2004, President Bush
won by 3 million votes.
But neither the president nor democrat John Kerry campaigned in California,
knowing the 55 electoral votes would safely go to the democrat. This new
plan could change that.
Fadem again: "There are 36 states like California that are non-battleground
states. So in those states, your vote for president doesn't count."
The proposal would only go into effect if enough states agree to the same
plan. Combined, they must equal 270 electoral votes, enough to elect a
president. California's version now heads to the senate.
Election Day '09 was a roller-coaster for election reformers. Instant runoff voting had a great night in Minnesota, where St. Paul voters chose to implement IRV for its city elections, and Minneapolis voters used IRV for the first time—with local media touting it as a big success. As the Star-Tribune noted in endorsing IRV for St. Paul, Tuesday’s elections give the Twin Cities a chance to show the whole state of Minnesota the benefits of adopting IRV. There were disappointments in Lowell and Pierce County too, but high-profile multi-candidate races in New Jersey and New York keep policymakers focused on ways to reform elections; the Baltimore Sun and Miami Herald were among many newspapers publishing commentary from FairVote board member and former presidential candidate John Anderson on how IRV can mitigate the problems of plurality elections.