Californians adopt Washington's Top 2 Primary

June 09, 2010

Do two states a trend make?

California voters have ignored the wishes of the political parties and strongly approved a constitutional amendment that essentially adopts the Top 2 Primary pioneered in Washington. This means all state voters, including independents, will get to pick the two finalists for each office. After a green-light from the U.S. Supreme Court, Washington began using its voter-approved system in 2008. The state's third running of the Top 2 Primary will be conducted largely by mail, with ballots postmarked by Aug. 17. This is Filing Week for candidates. Essentially, two reform-minded Western states have abolished partisan nominating primaries that restrict voters to one party's list of candidates. In its place: a wide-open winnowing election that allows all candidates to stand for election in the primary, with the two favorites for each office moving forward to the General Election, without regard to party. In Washington, the November finale usually is between a Democrat and a Republican, but that's not guaranteed. Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed said he was delighted with the vote in California on Tuesday -- a 54 percent approval of Proposition 14, carrying all but two of California's 58 counties. Reed had endorsed the measure and conducted many interviews with California and national media. His basic message: The system empowers and engages voters. It's extremely popular, adopted by a 60 percent vote in 2004, blessed by the Supreme Court, and backed by more than 70 percent of the voters who had used both the Top 2 method and the previous Pick-a-Party primary. Reed also believes the system will result in more moderate and less partisan finalists and officeholders. He said:

"I'm really pleased with the vote in California, and I feel certain that voters there will greatly enjoy this wide-open method of voting. It puts the voter in the driver's seat. People want to select their favorite finalists, and not just the type of candidates who appeal to a more narrow partisan base. "In my view this is the second step toward getting Top 2 into more states. We always expected this movement to originate on the West Coast and then move to other states. People are tired of narrow, rigid politics and they want officeholders who will be pragmatic problem-solvers."

Although legal challenges are expected in Californian, Newsweek and other national media were remarking today about the sweeping nature of the reform. Newsweek called it a win for the voters:

"The dance that all party candidates do—play to the extremes of their base in the primary and then try to keep a straight face as they label themselves centrist for the general election—is no more. The backers of Prop 14 figured that by eliminating primaries, candidates would have to be moderate from the beginning, making them more genuine and believable. Candidates will also have to cater to all voters, not just ones in their party."

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