San Jose Mercury News
"Republican organizers of a ballot measure to change the way
California distributes its huge trove of electoral votes in
presidential elections announced Thursday that they have given up on
making the June 2008 ballot. Despite a flurry of donations worth
$242,000 in the past week, the California Counts campaign fell short
in time, money and signatures -- but vowed they're still aiming to get
the controversial initiative on the November ballot. ... The measure
would require California to distribute its 55 electoral votes by
congressional districts -- essentially guaranteeing Republicans around
20 electoral votes, or the same number of congressional districts that
President Bush won in California in 2004 - enough to potentially
propel a Republican into the White House." [editor's note: Actually a
reasonably good idea, IF it was done nationwide by Constitutional
amendment instead of as an election-stealing measure by one party in
one big state (Maine and Nebraska already apportion their electoral
votes) - TLK] (12/07/07)