February 5, 2008

Electoral college measure falls short

Proponents of a controversial proposed ballot measure that would have reallocated California's electoral college votes by congressional district -- instead of the current winner-take-all system -- have abandoned their effort.

"It's not going to make the ballot this year," said David Gilliard, a Republican political strategist organizing the campaign. "The money never materialized to put it on the ballot."

The measure was the talk of Sacramento's political chattering class in late 2007, as Democrats charged it was an attempt to rig the 2008 presidential election for the Republicans.

The Democratic presidential nominee has won California in the general election -- and all of its electoral votes -- in every election since 1992. By splitting the state's electoral pie, the GOP nominee would be assured of some 20 of California's electoral votes, a prize the size of Ohio.

As a result, the proposed measure garnered national media attention.

But the campaign had to turn in more than 400,000 valid signatures by Feb. 4, which it did not do, according to Gilliard.

The on-again, off-again electoral college overhaul effort began last summer, when Tom Hiltachk, a GOP attorney, filed the measure with the attorney general's office.

Hiltachk then organized a campaign team. But they ultimately abandoned the initiative, citing poor fundraising and a flap over an anonymous donation funneled to the campaign through a newly formed organization in Missouri.

The source of the money, Paul Singer, a financier of Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, ultimately revealed himself, though Hiltachk and Co. abandoned the measure anyway.

That's when Gilliard and a group of GOP strategists tried, unsuccessfully, to pick up the pieces in time to qualify for the ballot.

The California Majority Report, a Democratic blog, first reported the failure of the measure earlier today.

"I think in a year in which the presidential race is not going on, it may be easier to get the donors interested in it," said Gilliard, whose campaign raised almost $1.4 million in 2007.

Gilliard said there were no plans to submit another measure in the future, though he did not rule out the possibility.

Posted by Shane Goldmacher on February 5, 2008 4:08 PM