Why Top Two is a Bad Idea

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  Free & Equal: California Top Two update

  August 4, 2011

  On July 14, U.S. District Court Judge Otis Wright set the date of August 22 for oral argument in Chamness v Bowen, the case that challenges the part of California’s top-two system that lets some candidates use their party label on the ballot but not other candidates. According to the order, although the judge is still inclined to uphold the ballot label law, he wants to be fair and to listen to oral argument.

  Also regarding the California Top Two lawsuit, the scope of the case was potentially expanded on July 18, when a write-in candidate for U.S. House in the July 12 special election, for an office in the 36th district in western Los Angeles County, asked to intervene in the case.

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  California GOP Drama Illustrates How Top Two Choke Point Puts MORE Power Into the Hands of Party Insiders

  March 21, 2011

  By Solomon Kleinsmith
  As much this staunch centrist independent finds some sense of amusement from the fact that the California GOP is having internal problems in response to the “top two” choke point part of Proposition 14, this story illustrates one of the major problems of limiting only two people through primaries and into a general [...]

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  Straight Talk vs Political Obfuscation on Top Two “Choke Point” Primaries

  March 8, 2011

  What I don’t get, at all, is when spin goes so far that when you ask them about an issue they literally refuse to talk about it. This has been the case with every single person I’ve been able to engage with one on one with Top Two primary rules.

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  Gautam Dutta: Why People Hate Politics

  August 12, 2010

  The issue is simple. If a newly passed California law (SB 6) is allowed to kick in, thousands of voters will be disenfranchised. Why? Because with SB 6, if you cast a vote for a write-in candidate in a general election, your vote will not be counted.

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  Free and Equal Radio Show – Senate Bill 6 Lawsuit Interviews – 8/3/2010

  August 3, 2010

  Free & Equal Radio Tuesday Night 7pm to 9pm Pacific Time. Steve Chessin, a plaintiff in the lawsuit against California Senate Bill 6 will join us, along with the attorney that is representing the plaintiffs in that lawsuit Gautam Dutta.

  Steve Chessin is an election reform activist in California and a member of Californians for Electoral Reform who has supported successful efforts to use IRV elections in CA.

  Guatam Dutta has an extensive background in the law and currently practices in California. He was recently the Deputy Director of the Political Reform Program at the New America Foundation working on government reform and election law issues.

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  (Video) Statement by Attorney Gautam Dutta in response to Governor Schwarzenegger and Lt Governor Maldonado’s attacks on the SB 6 / Prop 14 lawsuit

  July 31, 2010

  “Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado’s joint attacks on the SB 6 lawsuit are baseless attempts to deviate attention from the real issues at hand. It is telling that both the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor, who is the author of SB 6, have not challenged the legal merits of our lawsuit or denied the allegations that SB 6 will disenfranchise voters and censor candidates from smaller political parties. They are attempting to diminish the illegality of SB 6 by throwing around phrases like “special interests” and “party bosses.” The fact is this lawsuit was brought by six individuals (four voters and two candidates) who are concerned about the serious implications of SB 6. This lawsuit is not funded by any political party, organizations or so-called “special interests.”

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  California Enshrines the Duopoly

  July 24, 2010

  by Ralph Nader

  Last month, Big Business interests shamelessly dealt our already depleted democracy a devastating blow by misleading California voters into approving Proposition 14, without their opponents being able to reach the people with rebuttals.

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  Free And Equal: Media Ignores Ethic of Balanced Reporting in Effort to Push Agenda

  July 8, 2010

  “If half of the media in California who covered Proposition 14 practiced ethical, balanced journalism, the proposition would have failed hands down,” said Christina Tobin, StopTopTwo.org chair and founder of Free & Equal Elections Foundation. /… “The Los Angeles Times had the worst reporting on Proposition 14. StopTopTwo.org will ensure everyone knows which media outlets lived up to the ethics of balanced coverage,” Tobin said. “There are also those who did an excellent job, and the public will know who they can turn to for fair and balanced coverage.”

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  California Dreaming – Sabato’s Crystal Ball

  July 7, 2010

  The “top two” primary system is not going to change the realities of partisan polarization and one-party domination of large areas of California. Given the sharp ideological divide between Democratic and Republican voters, liberal Democrats will continue to dominate elections in Democratic regions of the state and conservative Republicans will continue to dominate elections in Republican regions of the state.

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  “Top Two” Illusions

  July 7, 2010

  The “top two” system does not provide any particular incentive for winning an actual majority of votes in a primary; the top finisher still must face the runner-up in the general election, where turnout is very likely to be much higher. So the safe thing to do is to nail down a general election spot by appealing to partisans (Prop 14 does not repeal party registration, which means that candidates will know exactly whom to contact with partisan messages), while beginning the general election campaign by going after the other party’s preferred candidate.

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  Prop. 14 morning-after blues / History of the top two

  June 30, 2010

  Come late summer or early fall 2012, voters are going to wake up and wonder why they only have two choices. There will no longer be Peace and Freedom Party, Libertarian Party, Green Party or American Independent Party candidates on the general-election ballot. Independent candidates will no longer be allowed to qualify for the general-election ballot.

  To top it off, write-in votes will no longer be counted in the general election. ///
  The top-two system was invented in Louisiana in 1975. Louisiana has had 35 years of experience with it. I am amazed that people will speculate about how it will work and not actually discuss what really happened in Louisiana.

  In 35 years, no minor party candidate ever qualified for the second round.

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  Flawed primary in California

  June 27, 2010

  “Hopefully, California will discard the top-two primary system and consider different and better options.” – Dr. Joseph Kolacinski is an assistant professor in Elmira College’s Department of Mathematics.

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  Top Two Election Idea Spreading, StopTopTwo.org Is There To Fight It

  June 23, 2010

  “StopTopTwo.org is alive and kicking, and we are going to continue fighting this Top Two election system wherever it pops up,” Christina Tobin said. “This doesn’t stop with Proposition 14 in California. StopTopTwo.org will keep our eyes on the nation to make sure the public is educated about better election system options than Top Two.”

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  Christina Tobin issues statement on passage of Proposition 14 in California

  June 17, 2010

  There is no such thing as a ‘wasted vote’ with Instant Runoff Voting. IRV eliminates the ‘lesser of two evils’ problem, encourages positive campaigns, and empowers grassroots activists. Top Two is fake reform. Top Two cuts off most of the debate five months before the election, and raises the money barrier for winning elections, making it easier for wealthy special interests to drown out the voice of average citizens. Top Two reduces your voice by banning write-in votes, and forcing you to pick from only two choices in the general election.

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  “Top Two” Primaries Benefit Tax-Raisers, Disenfranchise Tax-Cutters

  June 16, 2010

  “Hewlett-Packard’s major financial support of Proposition 14 was disgusting. Our organization will never again buy any products bearing the Hewlett-Packard label, and I urge all taxpayers who will be disenfranchised by Proposition 14 to do the same.”

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  Steven L. Taylor – Electoral Reform in California

  June 11, 2010

  Political Scientist John J. Pitney, Jr. notes: “In states that have tried similar election procedures, there is little evidence that a more moderate political culture has resulted.”

  Further, I would point out that the likelihood will remain that the voters who will turn out for the “primary” (i.e., the first round) will still be the more hardcore/partisan/ideological voters as opposed to the larger and likely more moderate voters who turn out for the general election (i.e., the second round). As such, this change does not alter a basic structural aspect of the process (i.e., the electorate that choose the top two is not the same as the electorate that chooses the officeholder–which is true of primaries in general).

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  George Will – California’s proposition mush

  June 11, 2010

  Voters who prefer their political menu seasoned with the spices provided by minor parties are pretty much out of luck. Under Proposition 14, such parties — Green, Libertarian, etc. — which previously could place candidates on November ballots, will almost always be excluded from those by failing to run first or second in primaries.

  But, then, blandness is the point of this reform. It seeks to generate a homogenized political class, one not lumpy with liberals and conservatives who, being conviction politicians, do not always play well with others.

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• StopTopTwo.Org and Ralph Nader Release Statements on the Passing of Proposition 14

  June 9, 2010

  “Throughout the primary election season, Prop 14 supporters hammered voters with deceptive and hypocritical messages – from false claims about how the measure would cure all of Sacramento’s ills to the misleading ballot language itself,” stated Christina Tobin, chair of StopTopTwo.Org. “Big business and big government won yesterday. If StopTopTwo.Org had half the funding that Schwarzenegger’s group had, we would have been better equipped to spread the truth and would have won by a very wide margin. Simply put, voters were tricked into supporting this terrible measure by corrupt politicians and big business interests.”

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  National Leaders from the Constitution, Green, Libertarian, Peace & Freedom, and Progressive Parties Release Statement Opposing California’s Proposition 14

  June 8, 2010

  If this ballot measure passes, the frightening unintended consequences will be other states following California’s tyrannical example. This is not the kind of electoral “reform” we want spreading throughout our country. It limits voter choice and gives more control to corporations.

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  The Cap Times – A primary primer

  June 8, 2010

  “There are plenty of pitfalls here, the most worrisome being that it would drive up the cost of elections and give more moneyed (and corporate-allied) candidates a sharper competitive edge while elbowing out progressives. It would allow Republicans to play a role in what would normally be Democratic primaries (and vice versa). The measure would also make it nearly impossible for smaller parties — the Green Party, for example — to offer candidates in the November elections.

  “Bad idea, bad process, Vote no.

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  LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF OHIO ENDORSES STOP TOP TWO INITIATIVE IN CALIFORNIA

  June 7, 2010

  Voters in many of our gerrymandered districts would only see candidates of a single party on the November ballot, and as evidenced in the state of Washington, reelection rates skyrocket to nearly 99%, well above the incumbency rates seen in the Soviet Politburo at the height of the Cold War…

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  Ralph Nader to Speak against Proposition 14 on Ron Owen’s KGO Show at 9:30 a.m. on Monday

  June 7, 2010

  Ralph Nader will speak today against Proposition 14, the Top Two Primaries Act that Gov. Schwarzenegger, Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, and the California Chamber of Commerce are pushing onto Californians. Nader is scheduled to speak on Ron Owen’s KGO show at 9:30 a.m. PDT on Monday.

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  Donklephant – The ‘First, DO Harm’ Act – CA Prop 14

  June 6, 2010

  This proposition flat out screws the minor parties. This glaring selfishness is made embarrassingly worse by the fact that several independent supporters I have communicated with, or read explanations of their reasoning for support, of the proposition have actually touted this as a way of further marginalizing these minor parties. This rings of a bully at school taking his anger out on even smaller kids because his bigger brothers have been beating on him for years. In fact, this is precisely what this is.
  I’m not going to split hairs on this issue. Independents that support this bill should be ashamed of themselves.

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  Prop 14 Opponents Schedule Election Night Press Availability in Sacramento

  June 5, 2010

  SACRAMENTO – Opponents of Prop 14, the June 8 ballot measure that would limit the number of candidates in general elections to just two, will hold an election night press availability at 2868 Northgate Blvd, Suite 103 starting at 7:30 p.m.

  Other anti-Prop 14 election night events will be announced soon in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.

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• Proposition 14 Fact vs. Fiction: Thoughts from Political Scientists Seth Masket and Boris Shor

  June 4, 2010

  Two leading political scientists, Boris Shor and Seth Masket, have studied the polarization problem extensively. Their findings show that Proposition 14 will not solve California’s partisanship problem.

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  Progressive Party Movement Opposes Proposition 14 in California Vote

  June 3, 2010

  The result of the top-two election system is the systematic elimination of any choice for voters other than Republican or Democrat in the general election, unless a third party can overcome one of the two “major parties” in the primary.

  We therefore urge California voters to vote NO on Proposition 14 if they wish to retain their constitutionally guaranteed right to vote for the candidate of their choice in each and every election.

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  Why top two primary is bad for third parties

  June 3, 2010

  In summary, the Top Two Primary has not solved any problems, and it has created new ones. Incumbents still rule the legislature.

  The Top Two is not a solution. It is a problem. We urge you to vote, “NO” on Prop. 14.

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  WarIsACrime.org: Washington State’s Third Party Leaders Issue Anti-Proposition 14 Statement

  June 3, 2010

  Leaders from Washington State’s Third Party Coalition released a statement today urging California voters to vote no on Proposition 14. The coalition is comprised of the American Heritage Party, Constitution Party, Green Party, Libertarian Party, and Progressive Party. The Top Two Primary System in Action — The Experience of Third Parties in Washington State

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  New Libertarian Party National Chair Opposes California Proposition 14

  June 3, 2010

  Mark Hinkle, newly elected chair of the National Libertarian Party, and former chair of the Libertarian Party of California, issued the following statement today about California’s Proposition 14, the “Top-Two” elections measure:

  “Californians, please vote NO on Proposition 14. This is not the change we need. This Top Two system will shut out all but two voices in our November elections, which are the elections that count. Now more than ever, we need more political voices and broader representation on the November ballot, but this proposition will do just the opposite.”

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  Ralph Nader Warns Californians: Vote NO on Proposition 14 — Stop the “Top Two” Tyranny

  June 2, 2010

  Ralph Nader, who has run for president both as an independent and as a third-party candidate, today warned against the ballot proposition promoted by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. “Californians need to defeat Proposition 14 or they will risk further entrenching the two-party system,” stated Nader.

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  Washington State’s Third Party Leaders Issue Anti-Proposition 14 Statement

  June 1, 2010

  Leaders from Washington State’s Third Party Coalition released a statement today urging California voters to vote no on Proposition 14. The coalition is comprised of the American Heritage Party, Constitution Party, Green Party, Libertarian Party, and Progressive Party. The Top Two Primary System in Action — The Experience of Third Parties in Washington State

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  Little evidence in Washington that ‘top two’ primary moderates politics

  June 1, 2010

  But the experience in Washington so far offers little evidence that Proposition 14 proponents’ promises of increased turnout and more moderate officeholders will pan out in California.
  “There was nothing dramatic enough that happened to make someone stand up and say, ‘Wow, this is really different,’ ” said Travis Ridout, a political [...]

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  Huffington Post – Top Two Reasons To Reject The Top Two Primary by Gautam Dutta of the New America Foundation

  May 29, 2010

  Here are the top two reasons to reject Prop 14, also called the “Top Two” Primary. First, Prop 14 will stifle political competition and debate. Second, Prop 14 will deprive voters of a full range of candidate choices.

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  StopTopTwo.Org Announces Two Events for Wednesday: San Francisco Labor Council Press Conference and Marin Libertarian Party’s Pre-Primary Event

  May 26, 2010

  StopTopTwo.Org announces two events for Wednesday:

  The San Francisco Labor Council will hold a press conference at noon. The anti-Proposition 14 press conference will feature all six qualified political parties.

  Marin Libertarian Party’s Pre-Primary Event “Liberty, Fiscal Responsibility and Change [...]

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  Don’t Like Negative Campaigns? – Then You Won’t Like Prop 14 – Tom Del Beccaro, Republican Party Vice-Chairman

  May 22, 2010

  As primary day approaches, negative campaign ads are on the rise.  When asked, most voters are firmly against negative campaign ads and if you are one of them, then you will hate Prop 14.  One of the unintended side-effects of Prop 14–and there are many–is that the number of negative ads [...]

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