by Lucas O'Connor [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Bob Mulholland
Campaign Advisor,
California Democratic Party

Will the candidates who have dropped out (Biden, Dodd, Kucinich, and Richardson) still be on the California statewide ballot?

Yes, and they will all get some votes – very few though.

Will the Independent votes be counted the same as Democratic votes?

Yes. If one precinct has 88 ballots cast by registered Democrats and 12 ballots cast by Independents for a total of 100, then 100 ballots are counted equally.

Does California have a Winner-Take-All (WTA) system to allocate delegates?

No, but the Republicans still use Winner-Take-All.

The Democratic National Committee has prohibited WTA since the 1972 Convention.

We use a proportional system – candidates who get 15 percent or more are entitled to delegates.

Democrats use the “15 Percent Rule” nationwide in all 50 states plus D.C., Democrats Abroad and the four U.S. territories.

In the Republican Party, the only votes that count toward delegates are the ones cast for the winner, either at the statewide or CD level, while Democrats award delegates to all the candidates with 15 percent or more of the vote.

How does the “15 Percent Rule” actually work?

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

I’m skeptical there will be a California health care deal in 2007 or 2008. But I’d be happy to be proven wrong as there is a rare opportunity to get something done that would be remarkably similar to the plans proposed by many of the Democratic candidates for President. The devil is in the details as to AB 1X 1 which will be voted on today in the Assemblhy, but it’s the only game in town for the foreseeable future.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see a single payer plan—SB 840 by Senator Sheila Kuehl passed and signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger. It was passed in 2006, but vetoed by the Governor. Senator Kuehl could have brought the bill up in 2007 in either the regular or special session, but has chosen not to do so, as it would only end up being vetoed by the Governor. It has the Democratic votes to pass and can be voted on next year before adjournment of the current session. It should be easier to finance than other plans as it would save the 25% to 30% of every premium dollar now paid in California that goes to insurance company overhead and profits. Medicare handles this share of cost for about 5%.