The Wisconsin Supreme Court, which had been developing protocols for use in case of a redistricting court battle, recently decided to stop doing so according to the Associated Press. During the last round of redistricting in the state, the legislature asked the court to get involved in breaking a legislative deadlock, but it declined to do… Continue Reading
Author Archives: Rose Institute
Doug Johnson on City Council Districts
A recent San Gabriel Valley Tribune article on the subject of how West Covina’s city council is elected features some astute analysis from Doug Johnson. Johnson points out the risks to West Covina of maintaining their current at-large districts because of a recent court case: Douglas Johnson, a fellow at the Claremont-based Rose Institute, said… Continue Reading
California Cities May Follow Vallejo's Lead
A recent Wall Street Journal article mentions that the California cities of Isleton and Rio Vista may be forced to follow in Vallejo’s steps and declare bankruptcy. The cities are currently being crushed under increasing costs from wages and benefit for city employees while sales tax revenue is decreasing. The cities have already contacted the… Continue Reading
Rose turnout prediction confirmed by SoS
On November 7th, just three days after election day, the Rose Institute calculated California voter turnout at 79.5 percent. We are happy to report that this weekend, over a month later, the Secretary of State released the final count:79.42 percent. Continue Reading
Douglas Johnson looks behind the election numbers
Rose Fellow Douglas Johnson recently gave a presentation on the trends behind this year’s election results to the Apple Valley Rotary club. While not all of the substance is on the slides, those interested in looking at the California election in an historical contest, or how the 2001 bipartisan gerrymander of California has saved much… Continue Reading
Doug Johnson on The Likely Effects of Proposition 11
Doug Johnson was recently quoted in a San Francisco Chronicle article that focuses on Proposition 11 and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Doug gives his opinion on how he thinks Proposition 11’s passage might change California politics. A few more competitive seats could change the state’s political picture, said Doug Johnson, a consultant to the Rose… Continue Reading
Massachusetts Newspaper Calls for Redistricting Reform in the State
The Enterprise newspaper of Brockton, Massachusetts recently released an editorial calling for redistricting reform in the Bay state. The paper looks towards the success of Proposition 11 in California, suggesting that the importance of its victory was lost in the controversy over Proposition 8. The article analyzes California’s redistricting methods over the years, until providing… Continue Reading
Proposition 11 and Santa Cruz County
The Santa Cruz Sentinel recently had an interesting article looking at the results of the California propositions, and in particular Proposition 11. The article looks at how the vote turned out in the county and compares it with the perceived prevailing political sentiments in the area. While many would expect Santa Cruz County to support… Continue Reading
Doug Johnson on Top-Two Primaries
Doug Johnson was recently quoted in an article appearing on PolitickerCA.com. The article mentions that former state Sen. Steve Peace (D-San Diego), is pushing a ballot initiative that would change California’s primary election process from partisan to a top two advanced system. Johnson weighs in on the legality of the proposal: “The top-two was held… Continue Reading
Prop 11 margin continues to grow
The Secretary of State’s update from late Monday morning shows Prop 11’s margin contiues to grow. With another 165,000 ballots counted since Friday evening, the Yes on 11 margin grew by another 4,274. Yes on 11 now leads by 186,167 votes — nearly double its margin on election day — and the Yes percentage is solid… Continue Reading