CAIVP > open primaries
New news on the Non-partisan primary is coming from PolitickerCA.com. Ben van der Meer reports that former Democratic Senator Steve Peace is pushing for the open primary initiative to be on th 2010 ballot:
That's the estimation of former state Sen. Steve Peace (D-San Diego), who is pushing for an open primary system through a ballot measure voters could decide on in 2010.
The measure was filed with the state in September, then withdrawn in October after receiving public comments. Peace said that he and other members of the California Independent Voter Project will study the comments and make small changes to the measure before submitting it again.
Peace said the concept is based on an open primary used in Washington known as the "top-two" system, where voters could cast ballots for members of any party in a primary election.
Under the top-two system, the two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary, regardless of party, then advance to the general election. Peace noted that many cities already use such a system in mayoral elections, for example.
"I don't think it changes the outcome, but it changes behavior," Peace said. In primaries now, he said, party nominees are largely chosen by a small, ideologically rigid group of voters because Democrats and Republicans largely don't allow registered voters from other parties to vote in their primary...
Read the Whole Article Here
George Skelton wrote a piece in the LA Times regarding the redistricting initiative and its implications for futher reform:
Reporting from Sacramento -- It's still too close to call, but the ballot initiative to reform legislative redistricting is looking like a probable winner.
Counties continue to count absentee and provisional ballots. As of Wednesday afternoon, Proposition 11 held a slim 1.6% lead -- roughly 153,000 votes, with up to 1.8 million ballots still to be tallied, according to the secretary of state. The measure actually has widened its lead by half a percentage point since election night Nov. 4.
So let's assume it passes. What's next? Here's what: By stripping the Legislature of the power to draw its own districts, California voters have opened the door to more political reform.
Next up in efforts to untangle the partisan gridlock and make the state Capitol more functional: A probable ballot initiative in 2010 to return state elections to some form of open primary system. All candidates would compete in the same primary and the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, would advance to the November runoff -- similar to the way local officials are elected.
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Former Oregonian Governor John Kitzhaber wrote an artcle today in support of Oregen's Non-Partisan Primary Initiative:
As a lifelong progressive democrat, I believe that Measure 65 – the open primary proposal -- is the one measure on the 2008 ballot that presents a truly progressive foundation for our representative form of government. This ballot measure offers an opportunity to undo a fundamental injustice in our voting system and lay the foundation for more effective governance in the future. It will immediately invite all Oregonian voters to meaningfully participate in elections and -- over the long term -- it will create a space in which Oregonians can rebuild their trust in government as a tool for positive progressive change in their communities...
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Ballot Measure 65 co-petitioners Phil Keisling and Norma Paulus today attacked a new mailer by the Oregon Education Assocation, saying it's an attack ad falsely linking notorious petition king and convicted racketeer Bill Sizemore with their ballot measure. The mailer (see exterior shot above and interior below) includes Measure 65—the "Open Primary" measure that aims to lump all primary candidates together and send the top two to the general-election ballot—in a list of measures on the Nov. 4 ballot associated with "Bad Penny Bill"...
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Oregon's election system gets an A for convenience, an A for trustworthiness and an F for fair access to partisan races. Oregon voters can raise that last grade by approving Measure 65, a long-brewing election reform.
This statewide initiative is no magic bullet, but it's one way for Oregonians to assert their voting rights, demand true representation and loosen the parties' grip on primary elections.
Many states hold some form of open primary, allowing independent voters to participate in partisan races and help choose the candidates who ultimately will represent them.
PORTLAND — As two former Oregon Democratic secretaries of state, Barbara Roberts and Phil Keisling don’t disagree on much. But a ballot measure that would upend the state’s current primary system and replace it with one open to any voter has the two at odds.
Read More...Turnout for the election failed to measure up to Secretary of State Sam Reed’s advance billing, but the 500-voter poll by Elway Research, Inc., showed 76 percent liked the “top-two” runoff primary and only 19 percent disliked it. Reed’s aides said the post-primary poll is costing taxpayers $15,000.
Here is a link to Elway’s evaluation of the results and another link to his data.
Read More...The Supreme Court has upheld the state of Washington's open primary election system. KXLY4's Karina Shagren reports.
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