FLASHREPORT

Update:  The bill, SB 113, to cause in California a $90 million early Presidential-only primary [and also as the 'special election' vehicle to extend term limits for legislators] moved this week through the Senate Elections Committee 3-0, with no Republican votes.  

There is much discussion about moving, again, the California primary for President to an "early" date in February to make California a stronger player.
 
You've also been hearing about the "need" to extend term limits and the true need to redistrict legislative seats using a fair method of drawing district lines for reapportionment.  Although they are unrelated, they get tied together in numerous conversations amongst legislators and to the press.
Tying all these issues together as is being done here is manipulative and wrong.  This effort is really all about extending terms for legislators.

Having torpedoed Prop 77's method of drawing fair districts with non-politicians, Democrat leaders [torpedo launchers] promised to fix redistricting.  More than a full year has expired without that promise being fulfilled.  Since these are constitutional changes, they need the voters approval.  But this is 2007--we have no elections until the June primary.  And Dems have shown they hate those "expensive" special elections...so, what to do???

In our last session, it was concluded that the 'early' Presidential primary wasn't really working in making California "relevant" so the Legislature passed a bill to move the Presidential primary to it's traditional June date.

Let's just recap recent primary dates, we'll start in 1992 which was June.  94 was June.  96-March. 98-June. 2000-March.  2002-March.  2004-March.  2006-June.  No wonder voters don't seem to know when the election is!

2008?  June plus February!

Yes, it gets better, we would still have the June primary for our state legislative candidates [the same Legislature whose approval poll numbers are the lowest ever] and whatever local elections that can keep up with this election yo-yo. 

What will the voter turnout be for that "extra" primary with no Presidential candidates on it--the 10th statewide election since March 2002?  Can you say "record shattering low voter turnout" just before you say "voter fatigue?"  And remember California voters, you still have to pay attention up until, and vote, in November for President.  11 elections since 2002!

Why all these gyrations?  The biggest reason for this early Presidential primary is that it is a Trojan Horse such that a term limits extension ballot measure can be run at the same time.  We dont need a special for redistricting reform, it can go on the June or November 2008 ballot and easily be in time for reapportionment, so that isn't an excuse.  The notion of an early primary making California more relevant was disproved in our ineffective March primaries in '96 and 2000 as other states leapfrogged past our primary.  This would just further the interstate primary race to be first.
Where are all the complaints about the cost of this extra election, the number of classrooms, the number of highway miles we could build with up to $90 million that this extra election would cost? 
People, is there any wonder that we get widespread apathy and mistrust of the electeds and of the election process when this legislature breaks the faith and plays politics with our vote?  We reap what we sow.

California will still be the cash cow for candidates to milk no matter what, for the general election.  Any state that is clearly polarized as red or blue will be considered "in the bag" for a fall election for one side or the other and get less attention than a swing state.  This scheme won't help that.  Such tinkering that moves states primaries up skews the election toward those candidates with the biggest dollars and name ID, allowing them to get the knockout blow early whereby an unknown could ascend through the current process and beat the conventional wisdom and become President.  Rural areas and small states lose relevance, like would have happened under last years AB 2948, the scheme to change the Electoral College that would have defied the voters' allocation of Electoral votes.

Do some legislators actually believe this could help?  I suppose so.  The real motivation for most is the term limit extension via this "hidden special election" under the guise of an early Presidential primary.  I hope the voters see through it.