The Great Voter Silencer: CA’s Prop 14

by Thomas Del Beccaro

California’s June primary features one of the most undemocratic initiatives ever foisted upon voters by politicians.  Falsely called an “Open Primary,” when actually it is a Top 2 Primary, the initiative actually reduces voter choices, effectively silences third parties and will harm our democratic process.

citizen-kane

Our current system features a primary process in which various partys, Green and otherwise, participate.  The nominees of those partys then square off in November throughout the state along with “write in” candidates.   Prop 14, which is opposed by The California Republican Party, and is pushed by some of the proponents of the failed 2009 Prop 1A tax increase, would end that system in favor of a Top 2 Primary.  Under Prop 14, all of the parties and candidates are forced into a single primary in June and then only the Top 2 vote getters square off in the Fall – no one else has a voice.

1. The End of 3rd Parties in California.  It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Prop 14 would put a literal an end to third parties.  Third parties already have a difficult challenge to be heard under our present system.  Lack of money makes it very hard for them to compete with the major parties.  Even so, over time, third parties have made an enormous contribution to our system in their minority role.  For instance, it was the Reform Party of the 1990’s that focused America on the perils of deficit spending while the two major parties failed to lead on the issue.

Their candidates ran throughout the country and throughout California in the Fall elections.   In doing so, their message against runaway spending and deficits was heard throughout the election process all the way to Election Day.  Their contributions had an obvious impact on the candidates of the major parties.

Under Prop 14, however, future Reform Partys will be no more.  The voice of any such challengers to the establishment will be silenced as of June primary.  Likely unable to bankroll a candidate to finish in the Top 2, all of the third partys, and their “unwanted” challenges to the establishment, will be silenced because they will not be able to participate in November election.  Keep in mind, that overall voter participation, in California primaries, is less than half of that in November.  Voters simply pay more attention in November than June.   As a result, the voice of minority party candidates will effectively silenced long before November when precious few are focused on the great issues of the day.

2. No More Write-In Candidates.  Adding insult to the injury of our system, write-in candidates will no longer exist under the Prop 14 system.  Imagine that: certain politicians want to end your right to mount a write-in campaign – they want to end our right to challenge them in the November election.  On its face, that alone should be reason to vote against this measure.

According to Jefferson, “When wrongs are pressed because it is believed they will be borne, resistance becomes morality.”  The well-funded proponents of Prop 14 want to silence third party voters and write-in candidates. They want to take away your rights.  It is up to all voters to resist that take-over and defeat Prop 14 for the sake of Liberty.

** Join the California Republican Party’s Effort to STOP Prop 14 @ The CRP Wants You to FIGHT FOR FREEDOM


Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | | Bookmark and Share

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted Apr 1st 2010 at 9:03 am in Politics, State Politics | 56 Comments