Dems Hope Pot Measure Brings Out Vote
Politico reports:
Forget the billion-dollar budget hole and layoff threats — the big debate in California right now is whether a bong war over legalizing pot could help boost Gov. Moonbeam back into office.
Seizing on new independent polling data, proponents of Proposition 19 — the Golden State ballot measure that would make possessing and growing marijuana legal — argue the measure is going to drive younger-voter turnout in such a way that it will benefit the Democrats statewide, from gubernatorial retread Jerry Brown to Sen. Barbara Boxer.
"It literally is the thumb on the scale that has been generally missed by the polling models out there, and it is going to have an impact not only on the initiative but everything else on the ballot including the candidates," said Dan Newman, consultant for the “Yes on 19” campaign.
"The community has been very active and engaged," he added, suggesting there's been "anecdotal and quantifiable evidence" of voters being spurred on by the issue.
"There's an energy and enthusiasm that is literally unprecedented in an initiative campaign," he said.
While the state Democratic Party is neutral on the ballot measure and its standard-bearer and two U.S. senators are all opposed, Chairman John Burton gave a one-word answer to the San Francisco Chronicle back in April when asked at the party’s convention what will bring out young, first-time Barack Obama voters again: “pot.”
The liberal website Firedoglake has teamed up with Students for Sensible Drug Policy to form the “Just Say Now” campaign aimed at turning out college kids. Two independent pollsters say they’re seeing evidence of what Rolling Stone magazine dubbed the “burnout turnout” effect in recent surveys.
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