Alan Greenblatt is a GOVERNING correspondent.
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California, Prepare to Borrow
The Sacramento Bee has a story up predicting low turnout for next Tuesday's special election, when California voters will decide the fate of a package of ballot measures meant to ratify the state's cobbled-together budget deal.
Not only will turnout be small, but it's expected to be disproportionately old and Republican.
"This is going to be a 'Tea Party' turnout with everybody who's angry about taxes, and that's a big advantage for the 'no' side," said Bill Carrick, a Democratic strategist unaffiliated with the campaigns.
If the measures fail, the state will be caught about $20 billion short. All but one of the six measures is expected to go down. The one exception is a ban on pay increases for state legislators during deficit years.
Despite the obvious populist appeal of that idea, I predict it will go down to defeat as well, with voters just saying no to everything.
GOVERNING Politics is the place for news and analysis on campaigns and elections. If there's a ballot measure in California, a legislative election in Alabama, a mayoral election in Anchorage or a governor's race in Rhode Island, GOVERNING Politics probably is writing about it. We love everything about state and local politics, from polls and campaign ads to policy debates and demographic trends.
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