[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Zack Kaldveer, Sherry Reson, and Don Goldmacher

Recent events during and after the California Primary suggest Los Angeles is in the midst of an electoral crisis. And a crisis for Los Angeles is a crisis for California. With the largest concentration of voters in the State, 18 Congressional Districts are partly or wholly contained in the County, along with 14 State Senators and 26 Assembly-members. The votes cast and counted in Los Angeles County significantly affect the outcome of every state wide election and initiative.

So what’s the problem? Let’s begin with the now infamous “double bubble ballot” responsible for the initial disenfranchisement of over 60,000 “decline to state” (DTS) voters in the February primary. The ballot was designed by former County Registrar Conny McCormack – a woman with close ties to Diebold and an overt hostility to the electoral reforms advocated by Secretary of State Debra Bowen (recent recipient of the John F. Kennedy “Profile in Courage” award).

Conny McCormack and her “Double Bubble Ballot”

by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Today the results of the February 5 primary become official.  The final spread in the popular vote between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is 8.9%.  Clinton garnered 51.8% to Obama's 42.9%.  The final delegates will be 203 for Clinton to 167 for Obama.  This roughly averages out to the exact spread in the head-to-head popular vote (Hillary got 54.6% of the head-to-head vote and 54.8% of the delegates), so the convoluted delegate apportionment system worked in the case of California.

I'm also pleased to announce that 47,153 "double bubble" votes were counted in Los Angeles County.  The expectation on the day of the election was that none of these ballots from decline to state voters would be counted, but the pressure put on by the Courage Campaign and other groups led to this result.  And by the way, 51% of those votes went to Hillary Clinton and 42% to Barack Obama, so those who insisted upon viewing this through some partisan lens can respectfully shut the fuck up.  This was about voter rights and remedying disenfranchisement; it always was, even though it had no material impact on the overall election.  

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

New Planned Method for Counting Uncounted Non-Partisan Crossover Ballots, as Proposed by Dean Logan in Response to Sec. of State's Request, Will Needlessly Disenfranchise Thousands of Legal Voters

By Brad Friedman
The BRAD BLOG

SoS Bowen Must Intervene Again to Assure All Votes That Can be Counted ARE Counted...

I hate to counter the adulation of so many of the good groups out there claiming "victory" and "a happy ending" yesterday in the "Double Bubble" ballot dispute in Los Angeles County, but I must. The "victory" they are now referring to, with the best of intentions, as "Great news!" is much less than it appears. Though if you don't look closely, it might otherwise look like a "victory." Unfortunately, it isn't.

Unless something changes, and quickly, Los Angeles County's acting Registrar of Voters Dean Logan is preparing to disenfranchise thousands of voters who cast legal ballots in the Super Tuesday Democratic primary election.

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

full disclosure: I work for Courage

It's time to celebrate!  The Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan has agreed to count every possible vote effected by the "double bubble trouble".  Logan will be following the suggestions of the Courage Campaign and the Secretary of State Debra Bowen to count the votes prior to the 28 day certification deadline.  Logan sent a letter (pdf) to Secretary Bowen to that effect and also testified in front of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors this morning, as did Rick Jacobs.

Delegate allocations are unlikely to change, but that was not the point.  Every vote in this country should be counted.  Thanks to the over 32,000 people who signed the Courage Campaign petition, our lawyers who dogged the registrar and many, many more who made this victory possible.

The registrar has promised to change the ballot, so that this never happens again.  The Courage Campaign will make sure he follows through on that pledge.  In addition, we will be seeking legislative changes to make it easier the millions who are registered as Decline-to-State vote.

Rick's statement and more detailed information on how this count will happen is on the flip.

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

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

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

(full disclosure: I work for the Courage Campaign)

Dean Logan, the acting Registrar of Voters in Los Angeles issued a detailed