Sneak Attack on Electoral College Gains Ground

State may switch from winner-take-all in Electoral College

(NEWSER) - Pennsylvania Republicans are proposing a radical change in how the state divvies up its electoral votes that could have a huge impact on the 2012 election. The plan, which is being championed by Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi and already has the governor’s support, would switch Pennsylvania from a winner-take-all system to one that divvied the state’s electoral votes up by district, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. And those districts are set to be redrawn this year—by a Republican legislature and governor. More»

Minorities, young people targeted in new rules, say voting-rights groups

(NEWSER) - Pennsylvania’s Republicans aren’t the only ones instituting voting laws likely to hurt Democrats. Some 12 states have begun requiring voters to carry picture ID; Florida and Ohio have reduced early-voting time; and Florida has cracked down on ex-felons voting, the Washington Post reports. Republicans say they want to cut voter fraud and create fairer elections, but voting-rights advocates—not to mention Dems themselves—aren’t so sure. “It just seems like a partisan setup all about who is going to be in the White House in 2012,” says a civil rights lawyer tracking the changes. More»

Forget Congress: It's governorships and state chambers that count

(NEWSER) - As tomorrow’s election looms, most are focused on which party will control next year’s Congress—but the big prize is really state legislatures, writes Nick Baumann in Mother Jones . A party that gains a “trifecta—control of the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature”—can “draw congressional districts within that state unencumbered by any need to compromise with the other party.” More»

(NEWSER) - The leader of California's Senate says he'll take Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to court for using line-item vetoes to slash another $500 million from the budget deal he was sent last week, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Democrat Darrell Steinberg accuses Schwarzenegger of overstepping his authority by making the cuts. "We elected a governor, not an emperor," Steinberg says, warning that the balance of power in the state is being upset. More»

State the fifth to OK nuptials as Baldacci signs measure quickly

(NEWSER) - Just hours after the Maine Legislature gave final approval to gay marriage today, Gov. John Baldacci signed the bill into law, the Kennebec Journal reports. When it takes effect 90 days after the legislative session ends in June, Maine will become the fifth state to allow same-sex nuptials. “This is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law,” Baldacci said. “A civil union is not equal to civil marriage.” More»