Proposition 1: Another GOTV Booster
Here on the Left Coast, we Californians love our initiative and referendum rights. In years past we’ve had some doozies to energize base voters that enhanced voter turnout.
Take Prop. 13. In 1978 California’s property owners gave themselves a break from punishing yearly property reassessment by limiting property reassessment only at the time of sale of the property, limiting the assessment rate to 1%, and allowing only a 1% adjustment per year. People liked that. It won in a landslide, and voter turnout in that off-year election was the largest in state history.
In advance of the 2016 election, California saw record voter registration among Millenial voters who signed up to vote for AUMA, the ballot measure to legalize recreational use of cannabis.
This year, we will see Prop. 1 on the November ballot. Prop 1 was placed on the ballot in reaction to the Roe v. Wade SCOTUS news leak last May. Prop. 1 will constitutionally protect abortion and contraception rights in California.
This is a guaranteed voter turnout booster that is bound to flip a few toss-up districts at least. Polls show California voters heavily favor a Yes vote in numbers that exceed 70%.
Ironically, had the May leak not occurred, it might have been too late to get Prop 1 on the ballot by the June 30th deadline as SCOTUS released the decision only 6 days before.
That’s going to be problematic for David Valadao (R) CD 22, Mike Garcia (R) CD 27 and Ken Calvert (R) CD 41. Toss-up districts all.
Our GOP overlords in Texas would never allow one of their red-meat issues on a general election ballot because it would increase turnout and the initiative would be quashed, and they might lose legislative majority.
1There was a cannabis proposition in Ca. in 2014. It was an off-year and activists tried to get the sponsors to delay it until 2016, but they didn’t, and it lost. I don’t expect the same fate for Prop. 1 though. I think the anti-Trump sentiment alone should ensure a large turnout.
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2Kudos to CA for always using foresight to combat the Rethug Repressors.
3I know his district is too safe, but I’d love to see Kevin McCarthy retired in a California blue wave.
4CD 22 is my district, where the air used to be fouled by Devin Nunes. He bailed out because 22 became a toss up district and he feared a humiliating defeat after years of easy victories. This district might finally flip. I’ve got my fingers crossed.
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