The San Jose Mercury New offers this report, which begins: “It’s little wonder that most Republicans embraced the proposed ballot measure that would allocate California’s 55 electoral votes to the winner of each congressional district. After all, an extra 20 to 22 electoral votes – the number of districts favoring the GOP – could ensure that a Republican remains in the White House. And even though that measure seems to have been derailed by the resignation of two of its key backers last week, political observers say the issue stirred up something much more complex: a deep and growing sense of hopelessness and frustration among California Republicans – largely white, male and rural – who view their status as increasingly irrelevant in a state known for its rapidly changing demography and complex multicultural lifestyle.”