California voters are inclined to support a proposed ballot initiative that would change how the Golden State allocates its electoral votes in presidential campaigns, but they're not yet sold on the idea, a Field Poll released today showed.

Currently, California employs a winner-take-all system that awards the state's entire 55 electoral votes to the winner of the state's popular vote.

Under the proposed measure, which could be on the June 2008 ballot, the presidential election would become, in essence, a congressional district-by-congressional district contest. The winner of the statewide popular vote would receive two electoral votes, but the remaining votes would go to the winner in each of the 53 congressional districts.

The proponents of the California ballot measure, largely Republicans, say such a change would make presidential elections more fair by more accurately reflecting the results of the popular vote. However, Democrats have railed against the proposal by charging that the measure is a Republican-driven effort to keep Democrats from capturing the White House.

If the proposal is adopted, analysts suggest that a Republican presidential candidate would get a boost because Democrats can no longer count on all 55 electoral votes from California, which has voted for Democratic candidates since 1988.

All but two states, Nebraska and Maine, give their electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis to the presidential candidate who wins the statewide popular vote.

The Field Poll found that 47 percent of registered voters back a change to California's system for electoral votes, with 35 percent opposed. Republicans generally support the change more than Democrats.

When pollsters explained the political implication that Democratic presidential candidates might lose some electoral votes under a proportional system, the numbers changed: 49 percent supported the change and 42 percent opposed it. Opposition from Democrats and independent voters rose when the issue was put this way.

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Still, the survey showed there is "initial support for the idea to change the California's system," said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll.

"I think voters on both sides tend to see the current winner-take-all to be a little bit unfair," he said. "Even the Democrats in the first question (before political ramifications were explained) were nearly evenly divided."

The poll of 536 registered voters taken Aug. 3-12 has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

With California's 55 electoral votes representing the biggest single chunk of votes in the presidential election, the proposed initiative - should it make the ballot - will generate a huge partisan campaign fight.

"And I think there would be more involvement from outside the state than we've ever seen in any other initiative in California," DiCamillo said.

Even though the proponents of the measure have yet to begin gathering signatures, the battle lines have already been drawn.

The proposal for the measure was filed by Thomas Hiltachk, a managing partner at the state Republican Party's primary law firm, Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk.

A representative for the proponents of the measure said the results of the latest Field Poll are encouraging.

"It shows that without much (campaigning) ... there's a gut-level notion that this is the fair way of doing things," said Kevin Eckery, a spokesman for Californians for Equal Representation, a committee recently set up to push the measure.

However, the state's Democrats argue that the proposal is nothing but a "right-wing power grab."

"Republicans are in disarray nationally right now. And in California, they aren't even treading water. They'll do everything they can to steal the White House in 2008. Our job is to make sure that we take it seriously and do everything we can to kill it," said Roger Salazar, a spokesman for the California Democratic Party.