This just in at Calitics:

The initiative to change how California's Electoral College votes are awarded in the race for the White House will not appear on the June statewide ballot, according to campaign officials.

In a brief statement e-mailed to reporters this afternoon, the California Counts political team said they are now shooting for the November ballot after being unable to gather enough signatures in time for this week's drop-dead June deadline.

"Due to the tight calendar we are operating under and the challenge of raising money and gathering signatures during the Holiday season," says the statement, "we understand that submitting signatures and having them counted in time to make the June ballot, is no longer a realistic goal."

This is excellent news. The reason the right-wingers pushing for this power grab wanted to get it on the June ballot (the state-wide primary with no high profile races to speak of) was that a low turnout election was widely seen as their best shot at winning; the November election will be anything but low turnout. Also, it will be more difficult for them to claim that an initiative on the November ballot can legally change the way EVs are allocated during that very same election (although they will try.)

Of course, if we've learned one thing about right-wing dirty tricksters, it's that they're not to be underestimated. So chalk this up as one battle won, but not yet the war. I expect we'll see plenty of dirty tricks to come.

Update [2007-12-6 19:24:6 by Todd Beeton]:Check out who's been giving money to the right-wing group pushing the dirty tricks initiative. The group is called California Counts and its backers include the CA Republican Party ($80,000,) recall-funder Rep. Darrell Issa (looks like a total of around $100,000) and, lookie here, Carl Karcher Enterprises, parent company of Hardee's and Carl's Jr., donated $25,000. I smell a boycott.