MetaFilter posts tagged with California and election

Why did Prop 37 Fail?

Scientist — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 10:25:31 -0800

Why did Prop 37, the GMO labeling bill, fail? Ernest Miller of KCET argues that it wasn't money, but message. Proposition 37, a Mandatory Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food Initiative was a Californian ballot measure which was recently defeated 53.1% to 46.9%. There's no denying that the "No" campaign outspent the "Yes" campaign by approximately five to one, but is that the only reason that it failed? Arguments for and against the bill in the California Official Voter Guide show the opposition portraying the bill as a flawed and costly measure that would raise grocery prices without meaningfully providing the consumer protections that the bill ostensibly was written to put in place. Meanwhile, supporters asserted that the bill would create accurate labels for food and improve the ability of consumers to make informed decisions about their health. Proponents of the bill stressed the "right to know" about the contents of food sold in stores, but KCET argues (same as first link) that in the absence of a compelling and well-publicized case for a need to know, voters prioritized their pocketbooks over that knowledge.

'South California' for 51st state?

reenum — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:14:07 -0800

Jeff Stone, a politician from Riverside County, wants 13 conservative Southern California counties to secede and become the country's 51st state.

Coming to a town near you... Prop 8 Protests

Glibpaxman — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:14:56 -0800

Proposition 8. Saddened? Curious? Outraged? Happy? Dont Care? On Saturday, November 15 in every state across America and even in cities worldwide there will be a day of action. The response has been so overwhelming the website organizers needed to open up a sister website to handle to traffic overload. In many cases, police are being updated repeatedly by event coordinators with exponential expectations for attendees. A taste of the action: Alabama, California, Texas, Iowa, New York, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Washington DC, International

Also, make sure to bring a number two pencil

Rhaomi — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 04:26:22 -0800

Something is rotten in the state of ~~Denmark~~ California. The California-based Courage Campaign is making noises about voter disenfranchisement in the Los Angeles area. For the 776,774 ~~independent~~ "Decline To State" voters in the primary there, casting a ballot for a Democratic nominee is a bit more difficult than you'd think would be necessary (the Republican primary is (un?)fortunately closed to independents). These "DTS" voters must request a Democratic Party ballot (as opposed to a generic nonpartisan one without a section for the Presidency), and then (somewhat redundantly) fill a bubble at the top of that ballot reiterating their intent to participate in the Democratic primary. Sounds simple enough. But the average voter has been confounded by less than simple procedures before. In spite of the potential for confusion, the local board of registrars has made the brilliant decision to have the scanning machines invalidate all ballots that do not have that extra bubble filled in -- without informing the voter of the mistake. Furthermore, poll workers will not be required to inform DTS voters of their right to a Democratic ticket unless asked, a policy which State Senator Dean Florez said "violates the spirit of the law" in a stern letter (scroll down to read) to California Secretary of State Debra Bowen. While the issue at first glance seems purely local, the effects of any disenfranchisement will have great influence on Tuesday's results. It is common knowledge that independents are drawn to Barack Obama's campaign, and with them locked out of supporting John McCain in the state's closed GOP primary, he was counting on their turnout to help top Hillary Clinton's erstwhile formidable lead. With the ballot issue threatening that support, the campaign was quick to explain the problem. And for good reason -- the three quarters of a million DTS voters in Los Angeles amount to three-fourths of the votes cast in the all the Democratic primaries to date. Their influence can easily sway California, which itself will sway the media narrative coming out of Super Tuesday. For its part, the aforementioned Courage Campaign is hard at work spreading awareness with websites, (minor) celebrity radio ads, and cheesy YouTube skits. Here's hoping their efforts pay off, and that we can finally get through an election -- even one as crucial as SupercalifragalisticexpialaTuesday -- without an intractable struggle for recounts and justice.

A little fiefdom, like Valkenvania.

Sticherbeast — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 14:52:05 -0800

Vernon Shoo-Ins Shoo Outsiders. A little town in which 44,000 work, but only 93 live, fights against holding its first election in decades. [bugmenot for the LA Times]

Guvenator loses

team lowkey — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 01:33:55 -0800

Newsfilter: All eight ballod initiatives in the California special election fail. $250 million down the drain. Were they all bad measures, or were voters just showing their displeasure with those in power?

Arnie wins in california

johnnyboy — Wed, 08 Oct 2003 01:32:50 -0800

Arnie wins in california, a victory for Mr schwarzenegger. For a man whose acting ability was described as going all the way from A to B, lets hope for the sake of californians that he is somewhat more adept at politics.

Candidate Camera

pzarquon — Mon, 22 Sep 2003 23:15:49 -0800

Not quite moblogging. Though basically a publicity ploy by the cowbox folks, Candidate Camera is still worth a browse. A digital camera has been offered to every single one of the candidates in the California recall election — from Adam to Zellhoefer — and they're sending in shots from the campaign trail. Clearly some are having fun with the project, from the unknown to the infamous. And while others are going for the mom and apple pie constituency, at least a couple are aiming at the Maxim mindset. Having David Hume Kennerly at the helm adds some credibility, and while his featured photo picks are always good, you can always — in true blogger style — just jump to the latest entries.

Behind the scenes with an Election Officer

elvissinatra — Mon, 22 Sep 2003 15:09:17 -0800

Behind the scenes with an Election Officer - "Congratulations! You have been appointed to serve as an INSPECTOR for the Statewide Special (Recall) Election." Also good: F'd State.

California Recall

thedailygrowl — Mon, 15 Sep 2003 10:42:58 -0800

9th Circuit Court blocks California Recall Election because six counties would be using outdated punch-card ballots. Perhaps the court should have paid a visit to the Black Box Voting web site to look at all the problems surfacing with the Electronic Voting machines.

New CA Gov Poll

GriffX — Tue, 09 Sep 2003 12:52:28 -0800

Don't just stand there - Bustamante!
Arnold Schwarzenegger would lose to Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante by five precentage points if the election were held today, according to a Field Poll of likely voters released today. Margin of error: 4.5%. How useful are polls like this when there are so many undecided factors still floating about? Poll tabs and analysis here. [PDF]

Lisa Simpson for Governor

serafinapekkala — Tue, 12 Aug 2003 07:44:50 -0800

Save Our State: Vote Terry Tate. (NYT/rr) Remember the Reebok Superbowl ad featuring the "office linebacker"? Well, that actor just entered the California governor's race. As the bumpersticker says, "Where are we going and why am I in this handbasket?" Name your pick for next has-been to get on the ballot...I smell Kato.

wackier and wacker

delmoi — Fri, 01 Aug 2003 12:22:23 -0800

Larry Flynt will run in the California recall election And he's serious too. Could he get the plurality needed to win? Oh and Arnold has anounced... that he'll anounce his decision on the 6th

Recall Governor Davis?

aacheson — Thu, 12 Jun 2003 15:43:02 -0800

Will the Governor of California be recalled? Just 7 months after the election, the drive to recall California's Governor Davis is really building up steam. Helped in no small way by conservative Republican lawmaker Darryl Issa's contributions to the cause and his website about it. It will cost $25 million and be decided in 1 off-season election if enough signatures are gathered. Will it happen? Is it a waste of money? Will it result in chaos and a "free-for-all" or will it be the sign of a healthy Democracy in action?

Steven Den Beste — Wed, 08 Nov 2000 08:33:21 -0800

My God! California has both a heart and a brain! [more]