Ballot Access News | Edited By Richard Winger

California Journalist Says California Should Threaten to Change Electoral College to District Selection

Posted on January 7, 2011 by admin

Joe Mathews, co-author of California Crack-up, and also author of the The People’s Machine (about the Schwarzenegger governorship) says Californians should support a measure to elect one presidential elector from each U.S. House district. Ted Costa has already announced plans to get such an initiative on the June 2012 ballot (or the February 2012 ballot, if California holds an election then).

See the Mathews column here. Mathews does not really believe it is good policy for California to elect one presidential elector from each congressional district. But he says Californians should support it anyway, at least to the point of putting it on the ballot. His reasoning is that California could use the measure as a bargaining chip to win more federal help for its budget crisis. If the measure were enacted and took effect before the November 2012 election, that would injure the President’s chances of being re-elected, because under current law, he can reasonably expect to win all of California’s 55 electoral votes in 2012. But if the measure were in effect, he would probably receive approximately 20 fewer electoral votes.

Ted Costa has successfully placed other initiatives on the California ballot in the past.

Carol Dobbs DeBerry Dies

Posted on January 7, 2011 by admin

On December 20, 2010, Carol Dobbs DeBerry died in California at the age of 83. She was an important figure in the history of the Socialist Workers Party. She was one of the daughters of Farrell Dobbs, the party’s presidential candidate in all presidential elections 1948 through 1960. She was also the wife of the party’s presidential candidate in 1964, Clifton DeBerry. She was age 14 when her father was sentenced to federal prison during World War II for his political activities. She was a life-long supporter of the party. The Militant has this obituary. Clifton DeBerry died in 2006.

Clifton DeBerry was the first black presidential candidate to actually have his name listed on the ballot in any state. There was also a black presidential candidate in 1960 in Alabama, Clennon King, but his name did not appear on the Alabama ballot, although candidates for presidential elector pledged to him did appear. At the time, Alabama didn’t print the names of presidential candidates on its ballot.

Indonesia’s Parliament Considers Raising Vote Threshold for Representation from 2.5% to 5%

Posted on January 7, 2011 by admin

Indonesia, like most democratic nations in the world, uses proportional representation. Currently, a party that receives at least 2.5% of the national parliamentary vote is entitled to a proportionate share of members in Parliament. However, a bill proposes to raise that to 5%. See this story.

Indonesia's Parliament Considers Raising Vote Threshold for Representation from 2.5% to 5%

Posted on January 7, 2011 by admin

Washington Secretary of State Asks Legislature to Move Primary from Late August to Early August

Posted on January 7, 2011 by admin

Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed wants the legislature to move the primary from late August to early August. A few years ago, the legislature had moved the primary from mid-September to late August. See this story. Reed also supports abolishing the state’s presidential primary.

Guam Bill to Elect U.S. Senators

Posted on January 7, 2011 by admin

A bill has been introduced into the Guam Senate to provide that the territory should elect two U.S. Senators, starting in 2012. See this story. Thanks to Mark Seidenberg for this news. The idea is somewhat similar to what is already done in the District of Columbia. The two individuals elected from the District of Columbia to the U.S. Senate are commonly referred to as “shadow Senators.”