Rasmussen: Change In California Electoral Votes Not Likely

An initiative may be placed on the ballot in California to change the way the state allocates its Electoral Votes. Some political pundits have noted excitedly that the change could add 20 Electoral Votes to the Republican column in Election 2008. However, a Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey confirms the common sense expectation that this change will not be approved by voters.

The proposal being pitched in California would award one Electoral Vote to the winner of each Congressional District along with two Electoral Votes for the statewide winner. In a theoretical sense, 45% of voters nationwide think that’s a good idea. Thirty percent (30%) disagree while 25% are not sure. However, even that tepid level of support dissipates when voters learn that a change in California could significantly increase the number of Republican Electoral Votes. Once that is factored into the equation, support drops to 31% and opposition increases to 43%.

It’s interesting to note that Republican support for the measure barely increases when told of the potential benefit to their own party. That may be due to a sense of fairness or a nagging realization that the same thing could happen in other states where the GOP would lose votes.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/change_in_california_electoral_votes_not_likely

Anything short of that would naturally accrue advantage to one party or the other.

It has to be all or none to be fair.

as usual, doom and gloom DU'ers focus on the Field poll and obsess about it, instead of this poll which tells a completely opposite story.

When this ballot initiative is publicized and more well understood, it will be seen as a dirty trick to steal the White House.

If you want to abolish the electoral college, do it at a national level, not one state at a time.

If you want to change the law in California, then make it take effect when 40 other states have passed similar laws, including Texas and Florida.

Is at the start of the campaign it has 70% support. Generally, it declines throughout the campaign and undecideds typically break against the initiative or don't vote on it at all.

Remember, just yes or no votes count on these things. This is one of the reasons Gray Davis was recalled, you had to decide yes or no and the default position for most voters these days is "no".

Exactly what merit is a NATIONAL telephone survey regarding a California ballot initiative? I'm interested in what likely California voters know (or don't know) about the initiative, and how the voters may likely vote.

I hope its defeated well before that.....