The "top-two" initiative that Californians will vote on next year was defeated by the California voters in November 2004. The same idea was also defeated in Oregon in November 2008. However, it passed in Washington state in November 2004 and was used for the first time in Washington state in 2008.
The Washington state experience in 2008 rebuts all the presumptions set forth above. Turnout in the primary went down, compared to the 2004 primary in Washington state. Only one incumbent state legislator, and no members of Congress, were defeated in the 2008 primary in Washington state (out of 123 legislative races). The only real impact it had was that, for the first time since Washington had been a state, all minor party and independent candidates for statewide office and Congress were barred from the November ballot.
By contrast, in California in 2008, under our current system, four Assembly seats (out of 80) switched between the Democrats and Republicans (Democrats gained 3 seats and Republicans gained one seat). It is a myth that California districts prevent any meaningful results in the November election. Too many in the press endlessly recycle the same assumptions without looking at the facts.
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How To Rescue the Golden State from the Junk Heap
The "top-two" initiative that Californians will vote on next year was defeated by the California voters in November 2004. The same idea was also defeated in Oregon in November 2008. However, it passed in Washington state in November 2004 and was used for the first time in Washington state in 2008.
The Washington state experience in 2008 rebuts all the presumptions set forth above. Turnout in the primary went down, compared to the 2004 primary in Washington state. Only one incumbent state legislator, and no members of Congress, were defeated in the 2008 primary in Washington state (out of 123 legislative races). The only real impact it had was that, for the first time since Washington had been a state, all minor party and independent candidates for statewide office and Congress were barred from the November ballot.
By contrast, in California in 2008, under our current system, four Assembly seats (out of 80) switched between the Democrats and Republicans (Democrats gained 3 seats and Republicans gained one seat). It is a myth that California districts prevent any meaningful results in the November election. Too many in the press endlessly recycle the same assumptions without looking at the facts.
July 9, 2009 at 8:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )