BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 459
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Date of Hearing: May 4, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 459 (Hill) - As Amended: April 13, 2011
Policy Committee: ElectionsVote:5-1
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill ratifies an interstate compact whereby the state
agrees to award its electoral votes to the presidential ticket
that received the most popular votes nationwide. The compact
would take effect when states cumulatively representing a
majority of the electoral votes have all enacted the compact in
substantially the same form.
FISCAL EFFECT
Minor fiscal impact every four years to the Secretary of State
to implement compact procedures.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . The author argues that "California is ignored in the
general elections of Presidential campaigns. Candidates do
not visit our state, they do not advertise here, poll here,
conduct field operations, send mail, or engage in any of the
other normal campaign activities?Presidential candidates that
do not campaign in California do not have to focus on
California issues, �such as] agriculture, water, high
technology, �and] Pacific Rim trade.
"AB 459 seeks to change this inequity. AB 459 will enter
California into an interstate compact that will result in a
national popular vote for President. A presidential campaign
where the candidate receiving the most popular votes in all 50
states (and the District of Columbia) is guaranteed to win
will force candidates to campaign in California and around the
country. Every vote in every state will matter in every
presidential election.
AB 459
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2)Other States . According to information from National Popular
Vote, the organization behind this measure, six states have
ratified the compact represented in this bill-Hawaii,
Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington,
plus the District of Columbia. Legislation to ratify the
interstate compact has been introduced in all the remaining
states.
3)Prior Legislation . AB 2948 (Umberg) of 2006, which was
identical to this bill, was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger.
The governor's veto message stated, "I believe strongly in
democracy and in honoring the will of the people. While this
bill honors the will of the majority of people voting for the
office of President of the United States across the country,
it disregards the will of a majority of Californians.
"I appreciate the intent of this measure to make California more
relevant in the presidential campaign, but I cannot support
doing it by giving all our electoral votes to the candidate
that a majority of Californians did not support.
"This is counter to the tradition of our great nation which
honor states' rights and the unique pride and identity of each
state."
In 2008, an identical bill (SB 37, Midgen) was vetoed for the
same reasons.
Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081