Comment Re:a question on the calif voting system (Score 1) 786
Yes, you're right. For the record, I'm a California citizen.
Every voter is presented two questions: 1. Recall Davis, and 2. Replace him with whom. You get to vote for both, even if you vote no on the recall. (So Arnold doesn't just need a plurality of the 53% who vote yes on the recall, he needs a plurality of all voters.)
If Davis gets 47% of the vote and Arnold (or whoever) gets 35%, assuming 35% is a plurality, Arnold wins. This is something Davis challenged legally, and lost. He also challenged for another reason, saying he should be allowed to be a choice for the second question, and lost that challenge as well.
The ACLU tried to get the recall postponed until May because some counties (including Santa Clara County, aka Silicon Valley) are still using punch cards. They won, but the Secretary of State of California won on appeal, which is why the election is still today.
So yes, the current system is asking far more from Davis than from anyone else. But that's the law.
Every voter is presented two questions: 1. Recall Davis, and 2. Replace him with whom. You get to vote for both, even if you vote no on the recall. (So Arnold doesn't just need a plurality of the 53% who vote yes on the recall, he needs a plurality of all voters.)
If Davis gets 47% of the vote and Arnold (or whoever) gets 35%, assuming 35% is a plurality, Arnold wins. This is something Davis challenged legally, and lost. He also challenged for another reason, saying he should be allowed to be a choice for the second question, and lost that challenge as well.
The ACLU tried to get the recall postponed until May because some counties (including Santa Clara County, aka Silicon Valley) are still using punch cards. They won, but the Secretary of State of California won on appeal, which is why the election is still today.
So yes, the current system is asking far more from Davis than from anyone else. But that's the law.
