In what could be a great idea or a sign of desperation, Democratic strategists are deciding whether or not to push marijuana initiatives on to ballots for the 2012 elections. According to a WSJ article today, Democratic candidates in California are benefitting from a surge in enthusiasm from young voters eager to support Proposition 19, which will legalize Marijuana in certain quantities and allow local governments to regulate and tax it. The article states that ballot measures typically do not increase turnout on a large scale, although strategists from both parties argue that certain ballot measures can activate targeted groups of voters which can impact a close election. Democrats liken the reefer measure to the 2004 ban gay marriage effort Republicans lead in Ohio and other battleground states as a way to attract the more conservative vote for President Bush.
We'll see if this makes any sort of difference. I think it sounds difficult to just slap a marijuana initiative on the ballot in any state. The states that will have an initiative on the ballot likely lean enough to the left that it won't make a difference (The Dems are munsoned right now so maybe it will). The Democrats are definitely dangling the joint in front of those young voters. What would be funny (kind of) if it backfired. There are definitely a lot of 19 year old Republicans who love weed but feel they've been around long enough where they can be a xenophobe and complain about their taxes. Full article here.
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