No June vote on Calif. electoral plan

SACRAMENTO, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- A proposal to split California's electoral vote, potentially a big boost for Republican presidential candidates, will not be on the state's ballot in June.

Dave Gilliard, the Sacramento consultant organizing a petition drive for the initiative, said Thursday the campaign has run out of money and there is not enough time to gather the requisite number of signatures to get it on the ballot, The Los Angeles Times reported.

The initiative would have split electoral votes between the two presidential candidates depending on how many congressional districts each won, instead of giving them all to the candidate carrying the state. Since Democratic candidates have carried California in recent elections, the change would have given Republicans an advantage.

Gilliard said he would try to get the initiative on the November ballot. If it passed, it would be up to the courts to decide whether it would apply to next year's presidential contest, Gilliard told the Times.