A simple ballot, an expensive election

California voters will face one of the simplest ballots in years in February, but experts say they can still expect a barrage of advertising over the next two months. Harrison Sheppard in the Daily News.

That's because the issues on the Feb. 5 ballot could influence hundreds of millions of dollars in annual state spending, term limits for state lawmakers and potentially the next presidential election.

Voters will weigh in on seven measures, one candidate race and the presidential primary. But the election generally boils down to four decisions because four of the ballot measures are nearly identical and one has been abandoned by its authors.