California GOP Moves to Change States' Vote for President

August 22, 2007— -- Democrats in California are preparing for a major showdown with Republicans over an effort by GOP strategists to change the way Californians cast their votes for president. California is already the nation's biggest electoral prize with it's 55 electoral votes, but a Republican plan, if successful, would make the state even more important.

The plan, which is being backed by the Republican group Californians for Electoral Reform, would place an initiative on the state's June ballot that, if it passed, would award California's 55 electoral votes by Congressional district instead of the winner-take-all statewide popular vote system. It could mean that campaigning for San Diego or San Francisco might be as important as winning voters in a small state like Kansas.

Democrats say such a move would rig the 2008 election for the Republican presidential nominee since the GOP currently holds 19 of the state's 53 Congressional seats. A pickup of 19 electoral votes for the Republican presidential nominee is equivalent to winning a big state like Illinois, Pennsylvania or Ohio.

Republicans supporting the measure contend changing the state's system will create a better relationship between Californians' votes and voter outcome in the presidential contest.

California Dems Ready to Rumble

Even though the push for the ballot initiative has yet to be endorsed by the state Republican Party, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger R-Calif., or any of the Republican presidential candidates, Democrats have quickly organized to formally voice opposition to the move.

As a counter to the Republican plan, California Democrats filed two separate initiatives on Tuesday with the California Attorney General's office which voice support for enacting a national popular vote system.

Among the state's politicians to join in the outcry are its two Democratic Senators, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, who have called the ballot initiative "the wrong reform at the wrong time in the wrong place."

Democrats say that even though the measure -- drafted by attorney Thomas Hiltachk and submitted to the state for review in July -- is still in infant form, they've learned many lessons from past elections like the 2003 recall of California Gov. Gray Davis.

"One of the lessons from the Davis recall is that people didn't quite take it as seriously as (they) should have until essential the dye was cast," said Chris Lehane, a Democratic strategist who served as former Vice President Al Gore's press secretary during the 2000 presidential election. "We're going to make sure that if there's any dye that's cast this time we're going to be the one's rolling it."

The Democratic coalition has been promised all the resources they need to effectively fight the initiative should it get on the ballot, said Lehane, who backs Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential bid.

"This is not going to be a situation such as Democrats may have found themselves in the past where something took place and then we quickly had to get our act in gear. We're going to be ready to go from Day 1."

Californians Open to the Change?

Statewide polling on the issue suggests Golden State residents are open to the idea of changing the way the state's electoral votes are awarded. A Field Poll released Tuesday found that 47 percent of respondents favored changing to a district by district apportion of California's electoral vote. However, Californians are less inclined to support the measure when informed that Democrats have comfortably carried California in every presidential election since 1988, the survey found. LINK

But Republicans think support will increase if the measure makes it to the ballot and voters are educated about electoral change.

"There's every reason to do it," said Kevin Ackery, a spokesman for Californians for Electoral Reform.

"Congressional districts will reflect the diversity we have here, it will reflect the community in terms of where the voting is taking place and if you do that, if you demonstrate to voters that their vote is more likely to count, I mean all that can do is make people more inclined to vote."

It's unclear whether the state GOP will back the move and invest financial resources in an effort that could cost millions of dollars. Chairman of California Republican Party Ron Nehrig told ABC News that the matter might be discussed at the party's state convention September 7. Nehrig says he's stunned by the Democrats' swiftness to oppose the initiative, which has yet to gain title and summary, financial support, or any of the 434,000 signatures needed to get on the ballot.

"The only way to describe the Democrats' response is, well, there are a few ways: panic, hysteria, overreaction, flipping out, hyperventilating," Nehrig blogs on CAGOP.com. LINK

Questions About Democrats' Motives

Republicans point out that Democrats in California are now fighting against the exact same electoral reform they favored in Colorado in 2004 and that Democratic state legislators are pushing for right now in North Carolina. The Democratic-led effort to change Colorado's electoral apportion failed in '04. North Carolina Democrats were reportedly told by Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean to hold off their push to change the state's voting system until 2008.

"I wonder if the CA Democrats who are in such a tizzy over this initiative believe that their fellow party members who are promoting this right now in North Carolina and other Republican-leaning states believe they, too, are engaged in some nefarious idea," Nehrig blogged on Monday.

Maine and Nebraska are the only states that split up their Electoral College vote. Strategists on both sides must now wait for the California Secretary of State to rule on title and summary of the measure. The ruling is expected Sept 5. Signatures for initiatives to qualify for California's June ballot are due in December.