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ALERT: California electoral vote stealing initiative rises from the dead

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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-23-07 04:41 PM
Original message
ALERT: California electoral vote stealing initiative rises from the dead
http://www.kqed.org/weblog/capitalnotes/2007/10/electoral-initiative-back-with-big.jsp

With homage to Mark Twain and his wry remarks about those who declare death too soon, the initiative to change how California's votes for the White House are counted is back... and may have enough cash to gather the needed signatures in only three weeks.

The initiative, which received nationwide attention this summer, would mean that California's 55 electoral votes would almost all be doled out by the presidential winner in each of the state's congressional districts. And given the wide swath of GOP red in inland California, that could give the Republican nominee as many electoral votes here as could be won in Ohio.

Longtime GOP attorney Tom Hiltachk, the author of the initiative, pulled out of the campaign several weeks ago. But it's now been revived by a group of conservatives that includes anti-tax crusader Lew Uhler and former 2003 recall campaigner Tony Andrade. Andrade submitted a similar initiative for circulation a few weeks before Hiltachk, but says he's put his own version "on ice," and is now focused on Hiltachk's version.

In a phone interview this afternoon, Andrade said that the campaign has amassed close to $3 million to get the roughly 434,000 valid signatures needed to qualify for the June statewide ballot. He said that while volunteer signature gatherers are getting a buck per signature, paid gatherers could end up getting as much as $4 per signature by the time the dust has settled.

SNIP

So who's put up the cash? Andrade says that $2 million has come from what he calls a "national group," but declined to elaborate on their identity. The rest of the money, he says, comes from various social conservatives... including some who helped bankrolled the signature gathering for the 2003 recall of Governor Gray Davis.

SNIP

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CrispyQ Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-23-07 04:43 PM
Response to Original message
1. They can't win playing by the rules so they change them.
They are pathetic.
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fasttense Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-23-07 04:46 PM
Response to Original message
2. Hmm, so maybe that is why the fires were started. A little chaos
in California in order to make the gubinator look good and to distract from an unfair and jury rigged proposal.
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TheWraith Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-23-07 04:51 PM
Response to Reply #2
5. Please tell me you're being sarcastic.
Because otherwise, you really need to turn down the gain on your paranoia meter.
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CaliforniaPeggy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-23-07 04:52 PM
Response to Reply #2
6. That's not it.
The fires are a product of too much dry timber, and the Santa Ana winds which normally blow at this time of year.

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ronnykmarshall Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-23-07 05:49 PM
Response to Reply #2
14. Yeah that's it.
:eyes:
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Xipe Totec Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-23-07 04:48 PM
Response to Original message
3. If I were in California, I'd volunteer to collect signatures
I'm sure Daffy Duck, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and Pluto would be more than happy to front line my signature sheet...
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rinsd Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-23-07 04:50 PM
Response to Original message
4. Calling out the Lincoln Brigade!!!!
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TechBear_Seattle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-23-07 05:01 PM
Response to Original message
7. Does California have any kind of public disclosure?
In Washington, every campaign that falls under state law, including initiatives, must register with the state Public Disclosure Commission within two weeks of taking any action whatsoever. Campaigns are required by law to keep the name and address of each and every contributor, be they individual, group or corporation, and must provide this information to the PDC once the contributor has given $25 or more in aggregate. Once a contributor has given $100 or more in aggregate, the campaign must also obtain and provide to the PDC the contributor's occupation, employer and address of employment. All of this information is available to the public via the PDC's website.

It would be interesting to see who is contributing to this campaign. VERY interesting indeed.
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rinsd Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-23-07 05:03 PM
Response to Reply #7
8. That was part of the strategy 1st go around by a group of Dems opposing it.
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Joe Bacon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-23-07 05:04 PM
Response to Original message
9. What about Texas and Florida?
Put the same initiatives on the ballot in Texas and Florida. Make the GOP fight twice as much!
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pnwmom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-23-07 05:30 PM
Response to Reply #9
13. I bet they're less likely to pass in a Red state
because there are more people in those states who would believe in the concept of "winner take all."
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Bitwit1234 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-23-07 05:22 PM
Response to Original message
10. Well the republicans are spinning and spinning trying to find
a new way to steal the elections. They probably know that their previous tactics won't work, so they are searching for some other way.
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DeepModem Mom Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-23-07 05:23 PM
Response to Original message
11. K&R
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AndyTiedye Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-23-07 05:29 PM
Response to Original message
12. They'd Put Up $30 Million to Get it On The Ballot if That's What it Takes

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