California’s Proposition 14 Now at 54.2%

Posted on by June 9, 2010
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On election night, when most of the votes tallied and publicly announced were absentee votes, California’s Proposition 14 had 60.5% as of 9 p.m., and 59.5% as of 11 p.m. But Wednesday morning, it stands at 54.2%.

This almost certainly means that people who voted at the polls on June 8 defeated Proposition 14. Over half the votes were cast before election day, so the votes of people who voted on election day are outnumbered by the people who voted during the period May 10-June 7.

The reason the people who voted on election day were substantially less favorable to Proposition 14 is that the campaign against Proposition 14 didn’t really come to fruition until the last week before the election.

California Minor Party Contested Primaries

Posted on by June 8, 2010
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The closest statewide contest in California for any of the six parties is the Peace & Freedom Party’s gubernatorial contest. Carlos Alvarez, who is associated with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, has a slight lead over Stewart Alexander, who is associated with the Socialist Party. Alvarez has 43.0%; Alexander has 42.5%. A third candidate, Mohammad Arif, has 14.5%.

In the American Independent Party primary, there were contests for both Governor and U.S. Senator between persons associated with the faction of the AIP that is loyal to the national Constitution Party, and persons associated with the faction that nominated Alan Keyes for president last year. Each faction is winning one of those primaries. The gubernatorial primary results are Chelene Nightingale with 58.7% and Markham Robinson with 41.3%. But the U.S. Senate race shows Edward Noonan with 40.5% and Don Grundmann with 34.2%, and a third candidate associated with neither faction, Al Salehi, 25.0%.

In the Green Party contested gubernatorial primary, Laura Wells is winning over S. Deacon Alexander by a margin of four to one.

Louisiana Bill to Convert Congressional Elections to November-December Pattern Likely Won’t Take Effect This Year

Posted on by June 8, 2010
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Although the Louisiana legislature is expected to give final approval to return the state’s congressional elections to the system used 1998-2006, it is likely that the bill won’t take effect until 2011. See this story.

The system used 1998-2006 calls for the first election to be in November, with all candidates on a single ballot. If no one gets 50%, there is a run-off in December. Thanks to Steve Rankin for the link.

California Voters Pass Top-Two, Defeat Public Funding

Posted on by June 8, 2010
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Here is a link to California election returns. Proposition 14, the top-two ballot measure, has 59.5% “Yes”. Proposition 15, to repeal the state law that bans public funding, is losing with 43.3%.

California now has the most restrictive general election ballot access in the nation. Even Georgia always has three candidates on the November ballot for statewide office. Even Oklahoma typically has three candidates on the November ballot for Congress, as does North Carolina.

Even Washington state will sometimes count write-ins. California now has a general election ballot (for partisan office other than President) that compares with Ohio’s general election ballot between 1949 and 1967…no one on the November ballot but Democrats and Republicans, no write-ins counted. We know top-two works this way because that is how it worked in Washington state in 2008. I will not be voting in midterm general elections in California any longer, if Proposition 14 is upheld, and I suspect thousands of other Californians feel the same way.