No, not dead, just delayed.  They kept pushing their luck on turning in the signatures and now have conceded that they will not make the June ballot.  (Got this via email, but Meyer’s blog has technical problems, will update with link later)

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.”

They are now shooting for the November ballot.  However, like Meyers notes that there are two major problems with that strategy.  1) The turnout will not be as favorable for the Republicans as it would have been in June.  2) If it were to pass there would be a court challenge over whether it would count for the election occurring on the same day.

We have killed it twice now and we will for a third time if necessary.

[UPDATE] 3:20 pm Here is the SacBee breaking story that has a crucial piece of information:

California Counts has until Feb. 4 to submit their signatures, a deadline representing six months after the initiative was approved for circulation. Gilliard’s statement said his group had collected more than 500,000 signatures; political strategists believe they need about 700,000 to ensure they have enough valid ones to meet a state threshold.

“CalCounts will continue with its fundraising and signature drive because we believe Californians deserve the right to vote on this important initiative to reform the Electoral College and to make our state count again in presidential elections,” Gilliard said in the statement.

There has been a lot of confusion over when the dirty tricksters needed to turn in their signatures.  The hard deadline was Feb 5th, but that is also when they need to be certified by, so they obviously had to turn them in before then.  The County Registrars need time to do the random counts and if that failed, to do a full count.

They are busy preparing for the primary, thus can’t be devoting a lot of resources to a count.  The dirty tricksters pushed it so far that it is now impossible to get certified in time for the June primary.  But if they get the 200,000 more in by February, it will make the November ballot.

(full disclosure: I’m working for Courage Campaign)

While Giuliani’s minions scramble around gathering signatures (holler in the comments if you have seen signature gatherers), Courage Campaign is ramping up again to beat the dirty trick initiative AGAIN.  We had pivoted on to Blackwater and are now waging two big battles at once: making sure the Republicans don’t steal the White House and keeping Blackwater from opening a mercenary training base in Potrero.

These battles take resources and by that I mean money.  We are dedicated to running a new style campaign, for and by the netroots.  Where these guys are getting million dollar checks from big funders, we are running hard on ActBlue.  We have set a goal of 1,000 contributions on ActBlue all time for No Dirty Tricks.  We knew it would be a reach.  We started the day at 619 donors and we are now at 820 donors. Can you help us reach our goal? You can contribute via the Calitics ActBlue page.

Below the fold is the email we sent to Courage Campaign members today.  On Halloween we will have a surprise from Courage friend and dirty trick foe Bradley Whitford.

Dear Julia,

I am very angry.

One month ago, your amazing activism killed a right-wing dirty trick to steal the White House in 2008. This unprecedented ballot initiative — robbing 20 Electoral College votes from California for the GOP’s presidential nominee — collapsed under intense pressure from the grassroots and netroots.

So, why am I angry? Well, as the Los Angeles Times reports, a ghoulish gang of out-of-state Republican donors and consultants is bringing this dirty trick back from the dead, just in time for Halloween.

But there’s another reason why I am upset about this devious Republican power grab: Progressives are now being forced to fight a two-front war in California with right-wing extremist outsiders spending millions to battle us on the ballot — and on the border.

As you may know, after the first dirty trick died, I dedicated our staff and budget to a very time and resource-intensive campaign — helping the people of Potrero block Blackwater’s planned mercenary base in San Diego County. And now, with the dirty trick rising from the grave, our organization’s finances are stretched thin and our staff is maxed out.

Let me be blunt: We need your immediate financial support to beat back Blackwater AND this new cabal of dirty tricksters. Can you dig deep and donate $20, $50, or $100 or more by Sunday, November 4? Your contribution will help us reach our mission-critical goal of 1,000 “NoDirtyTricks” donors on ActBlue:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/ActBlue

While I am not the least bit shocked by this new dirty trick, I am very angry that Karl Rove’s cronies are forcing it on the people of California again.

The desperation of these right-wing consultants would be laughable if they weren’t so frighteningly effective at stealing elections. Just like they did in Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004, they want to steal the presidency in California in 2008. And the consequences could be catastrophic for our country and the world.

Iraq. Iran. Global warming. Health care. Civil liberties. The Supreme Court.

The next President of the United States will fundamentally change the course of human history. That’s why these desperate right-wingers are hell-bent on subverting the Electoral College rules to lock down the White House for decades.

Are you angry now?

Then do something. With a vital contribution of $20, $50, or $100 or more, you can help us immediately re-launch our NoDirtyTricks.com campaign AND block Blackwater as well. Please help us reach 1,000 donors on ActBlue by Sunday, November 4 — exactly one year before the 2008 presidential election:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/ActBlue

We are a new kind of organization, waging a new kind of campaign, practicing a new kind of politics. By closely collaborating with some of California’s leading bloggers and grassroots activists, the Courage Campaign is changing the landscape of policy debate under the traditional media and political establishment.

A few months ago, for example, we worked with the netroots to relentlessly re-frame this sneaky ballot initiative as a “dirty trick” — creating a ubiquitous buzz in the blogosphere that prompted journalists and opinion leaders like Howard Dean to use “dirty trick” as a default description of the initiative.

The upshot? Instead of spending a fortune on focus groups run by top-down insider political consultants, the Courage Campaign is people-powered, working closely with grassroots and netroots activists to impact politics from the bottom-up.

That’s why we are setting a new kind of goal — donors instead of dollars. Can you help us defeat the dirty tricksters and beat Blackwater by making a small donation of $20, $50, or $100 on our ActBlue page? Your quick donation will help us build a people-powered movement of 1,000 “NoDirtyTricks” donors by Sunday, November 4:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/ActBlue

You are on the ground floor of a new movement led by the Courage Campaign to synergize the netroots with the grassroots to achieve a progressive vision for California. Now, as we battle Blackwater and the dirty tricksters, we need your help to make that vision a reality.

Thank you for everything you are doing to build our people-powered movement for progressive change in California and the country.

Rick Jacobs
Chair

P.S. On Halloween, Emmy Award-winning actor Bradley Whitford (“Josh Lyman” of “The West Wing”) will be sending you a special message with a special treat. For now, check out Brad’s YouTube video right here:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/ActBlue

Meanwhile, can you help us by forwarding this email to two friends? Getting two more friends involved will help us put an end to politics as usual in California. Thank you so much.