What is the sound of ballot papers rustling if no one’s around at the polls? Caught up in the rapidly evolving drama of the Democratic primaries, even the most die-hard political junkies in California apparently were oblivious to the fact that an election was conducted this Tuesday. It so happened that I was at the polls as a “Judge”, electing to spend the day at my polling place observing democracy in action. More »

The dust from the Super Tuesday storm appears to have settled ( or has it?) and it is time to look at the results of your vote.

Candidates(with 99% of the precincts reporting)(numbers courtesy cnn.com):

Democrats:

Hillary Clinton %age of vote: 52%; Number of delegates pledged so far: 233

Barack Obama %age of vote: 42%; Number of delegates pledged so far: 172

John Edwards %age of vote: 4%; Number of delegates pledged so far: 0

( We will keep updating these numbers as we get them..with provisional ballots still to be counted, it might take a while for the delegate count to add up to 370). Incidentally, the mini poll we had up on the site predicted the percentage vote difference as well as the best pollster out there. We had Hillary up 56% to 44%!

Republicans:

John McCain %age of vote: 42%; Number of delegates: 116

Mitt Romney %age of votes: 34%; Number of delegates: 3 

Mike Huckabee %age of votes: 12%; Number of delegates: 0 

( Remember the Republicans operate on a winner-take-all system. For an explanation of delegate allotment, see here.) 

Propositions on the Ballot: ( for explanations on what the propositions were, see here)

Prop 91: FAILED 58.1% to 41.9%

Prop 92: FAILED 57.3% to 42.7% 

Prop 93: FAILED 53.5% to 46%

Prop 94-97: PASSED  55.8% to 44.2%

WNI takes a look at front runners from both parties and the propositions on the ballot on Feb 5, 2008. 

Democrats 

Hillary Clinton: Once considered the inevitable candidate for the Democratic Party, Senator Clinton still enjoys substantial support among middle and lower income voters who remember the empathy President Bill Clinton conveyed towards the less-advantaged. A centrist Democrat, Senator Clinton has laid out an agenda that favors energy efficiency, universal health care and a soft approach to illegal immigration. Senator Clinton also has the support of those wanting America to make history by electing the first woman President of the USA. Hillary Clinton's Website More »

For the first time in many decades, the Californian presidential primary is going to have a significant influence on the selection of the nominees, both on the Democratic and Republican sides.

Till the last election cycle, Californian primaries were typically held in June, a time when the selection of candidates was all over but for the crowning at the conventions. This year, by pushing the primary forward to what is now being called Super Tuesday, Californians finally have a situation where their votes matter.

WNI will attempt to lay down some of the numbers at stake for candidates from each party. On Sunday we will do a quick primer on candidates and propositions at stake.

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