73% Support Majority Vote for Revenue and Budget- Poll

POLL: 73% of CA Voters Support Majority Vote For Revenue & Budget A remarkable seventy-three percent of California likely voters support majority rule in the legislature for both revenue and budget, a new poll by David Binder of DB-Research shows. The poll was conducted March 6 -11, 2010 on behalf of Californians for Democracy. This is overwhelming support for the California Democracy Act, a November 2010 ballot initiative that states, "All legislative actions on revenue and budget must be determined by a majority vote." The California Democracy Act would change two words in the California Constitution, from "two-thirds" to "a majority" in two places, eliminating the controversial "two-thirds" rules. "The overwhelming majority of California voters want a voice in how California is governed," said UC Professor George Lakoff, author of the measure. "Most voters are frustrated that they have had no influence in the legislature." The two-thirds rules presently allow a minority of little more than one-third of the legislators to control how the state is run by blocking the raising of necessary revenue and the passage of a budget. When asked, "In a democracy, a majority of legislators should be able to pass everyday legislation," a 71 percent majority said yes. When asked, "In a democracy, a minority of legislators should be able to block everyday legislation," a 68 percent majority said no. At present, a 63 percent majority in the legislature is being blocked by a 37 percent minority on everyday legislation. The two-thirds rules permit this because just about every piece of everyday legislation requires revenue and must be part of the budget. Another striking poll result concerned taxes. When asked, "Do you support or oppose solving the budget crisis by closing tax loopholes on corporations and charging oil companies an extraction fee without raising taxes on the lower and middle income Californians," a 62 percent majority said they supported the proposal. For more information on this initiative go to www.CaliforniansForDemocracy.com.