Voters Reject Electoral Power Grab Initiative

October 31, 2007

California Statewide Poll Results-- Voters Reject Electoral Power Grab Initiative

California voters overwhelmingly OPPOSE Republicans’ partisan effort to change how California distributes its electoral votes. 

When voters are read the title and summary of the proposed initiative, a solid majority opposes the measure - 53 percent would vote NO if the election were held today and only one out of five voters (22%) support the initiative while a quarter of the electorate (25%) is currently undecided.  This is one of the lowest levels of support we have ever seen in our polling for a statewide initiative in California.

Consistent Opposition Throughout the State

Here is how bad the Republican electoral power grab initiative is doing - it has managed to unite Californians throughout the state against the measure.  In fact, every demographic group and region of the state rejects this measure. 

 
Opposition is quite even throughout the state as majorities of every region of California are voting no on the electoral power grab initiative:

• Los Angeles County - 24% yes to 52% no
• Suburban Los Angeles - 21% yes to 57% no
• San Francisco Bay Area - 20% yes to 51% no
• San Diego - 18% yes to 52% no
• Sacramento and North - 23% yes to 56% no
• Central Valley - 24% yes to 52% no

This initiative is quite unique as we rarely see such overwhelmingly united opposition to an issue in California, where the North and South agree as does Coastal and Inland California.

Not surprisingly, our poll found Democrats strongly opposed to this Republican-backed measure.  Specifically, Democrats reject the measure by a margin of three-to-one (59% no to only 20% yes).  Independents also firmly line up against it, opposing it by a two-to-one margin (51% no to 25% yes). 

The big surprise in this survey is that even Republican rank-and-file voters strongly reject it.  In fact, Republican voters oppose the initiative by a two-to-one margin (46% no to 22% yes).  Thus, this measure has no partisan base, even among Republican voters.

Conclusion

The fact of the matter is this electoral power grab effort by Republicans has essentially no chance of passing.  No initiative that has started this far down has ever won.  And with a majority of voters already voting no on this and the fact that most voters who are undecided on an initiative vote no, Republicans are wasting their time, money, and energy trying to get this losing initiative on the ballot. 

Survey Methodology:  Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research conducted a statewide survey among 687 likely June 2008 primary election voters in California from September 23-27, 2007.  The margin of error for the survey is +/- 3.7 percent.