Papers were filed to place the National Popular Vote plan on the ballot in California in 2008. Under the plan, California would join an interstate compact to award its electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote in all fifty states. Nationally, the National Popular Vote legislation has 364 Sponsors in 47 States, including California, where the bill recently passed the State Senate.
A competing ballot initiative proposes to divide California's electoral votes by congressional district. FairVote's report "Fuzzy Math: Wrong Way Reforms for Allocating Electoral College Votes" explains the folly of awarding electoral votes by congressional district, even if done in every state in the country.
[ Los Angeles Times story ]
[ Article in Slate by Jamie Raskin ]
[ National Popular Vote ]
[ FairVote's Report "Fuzzy Math" ]
National Popular Vote on the Ballot in California?
Bill stands in contrast to effort to divide electoral votes by district
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Fuzzy Math
436 mini-elections for president are worse than one
To combat the feeling many states have of being voiceless in presidential elections, some Republicans in California and Democrats in North Carolina want to see their states� electoral votes awarded by congressional district rather than by winner-take-all. That way, the Golden State�s GOP can presumably deliver a score of electoral votes to their party�s nominee, and Democrats of the Old North can give five for their team otherwise have none.
That�s fair, right? Not quite. A new report by FairVote studies the flaws in alternative methods of allocating electoral votes. [ Read the report ] [ Read a Newsweek article on the California proposal ] [ Hear a podcasted interview on our report ] |
California Assembly Approves Local Voting System Options
Bill Would Let Municipalities Use IRV and Choice Voting
The California Assembly on June 6 passed a bill 47-31 allowing municipalities with home rule charters to use instant runoff and choice voting for local elections. The bill, AB 1294, has moved on to the state Senate for consideration. The bill was referred to the Senate Elections Committee, and a hearing is now scheduled for July 10.
Current state law prohibits most jurisdictions from choosing alternative voting systems. Currently only charter cities and counties can use ranked systems. This means that over three-fourths of cities and counties and over half of all California residents are legally prohibited from reforming elections. Most cities use winner-take-all, and most counties have runoff elections. The bill would not force a particular system on any jurisdiction. Californians for Electoral Reform (CfER) has led the effort to adopt the legislation. [ Read AB 1294 ] |