Both the Republican Party and Democratic Party organizations have come out in opposition to Proposition 14, the Top Two Initiative in California. However, many top politicians in both parties have endorsed the measure. However, the Republican Party organization has begun circulating petitions all over the state which push three “top” issues which encourage voters to “Fight for Freedom“. One of those issues is fighting Proposition 14. As previously reported, the Riverside County GOP’s website carried IPR’s editorial on the subject.
They have also launched a website called “Stop Prop 14”, located here.
NEW SCIENTIST THIS WEEK:
27 October 2010
“If voters say yes to legalising (English English) marijuana use in California, it will send a shock wave around the world … “
Gary @ #12 – Prop 14 – the Top Two initiative – is on the ballot because Democrats in the legislature were willing to vote for it in order to get Sen. Abel Maldonado (Rep) to vote for their big government budget proposal.
Sen. Maldonado – about to become Lt Governor by appointment – wants Hispanic Democrats to be able to vote for him in the primary. That is why he wants an “open primary.” Nobody else i the legislature really supports it.
The newspapers and certain business interests with government connections are pushing this initiative, over the opposition of all the parties in the state.
Gary – MarkRat Robinson, Seidenrats’ criminal buddy, is minimally neutral regarding 14 if not in support. He is, as when he ran away from legal service, hiding out in his rat hole and afraid to poke his head out.
Don J. Grundmann, D.C. Vice-Chairman American Independent Party, California branch of the Constitution Party
I am very happy to see that my ol buddy, Mark Seidenberg, and I can get on a blog and actually agree about something.
Proposition 14-Top Two- is an abomination!
Everyone should do everything they can to defeat it.
The major parties WANT top two. After all the legislature made up of major party office holders voted for it. They would like nothing better than to keep the Ralph Naders and Jesse Venturas of the world off general election ballots.
Have the Democrats made any statement on this?
Probably the Republican Party is doing this just to undermine Maldenado.
Richard Winger
I for one believe Prop. 14 is bad for the electors
of this state. As of January 5, 2010 the American Independent Party has a registration of 382,380 voters in California.
Mr. Starr is correct (see above) it would be a death to most of the 3rd parties in California,
viz., P & F, Libertarian, and Greens (because of
higher registration requirements in the future).
AIP will join the other five parties for the May
press conferences.
Please vote NO on Prop. 14. Richard Winger views convinced me that NO was the correct way
to go.
Sincerely, Mark Seidenberg, Vice Chairman,
American Independent Party.
an additional thank you for the editorial!
Christina,
Not sure if it will do you any good, but you can add IPR to the list of opponents of Prop 14 since we have published an official site editorial to that effect.
Thank you Aaron for your efforts in 2004 in helping defeat Prop. 62.
Proposition 62 was kinder. It permitted write-ins and lowered registration.
Proposition 14 says write-ins may never be counter in November elections for Congress and for state office. It doesn’t let all candidates who want a label have one. It makes it far more difficult for parties outside of the Dem & Rep Party (Green, Libertarians, American Independent, Peace & Freedom) to remain qualified. Currently these 4 qualified parties remain on the ballot by polling 2% for any statewide race in a mid-term year. But that test would no longer be operative, because parties would no longer have nominees. So they only way they could remain on the ballot is by having a registration of 1% of the last gubernatorial vote, which would be about 100,000 after 2010. Peace & Freedom and the Libertarian Party would go off the ballot.
The proponents who drafted Prop 14 went out of their way to incorporate these changes. This shows bad intent.
Thanks to Richard Winger — I’ve recently connected with the Former California GOP chairman Shawn Steele. We look forward to uniting our efforts against CA’s Top Two. I plan on speaking with the Democratic leaders soon.
Please visit http://www.stoptoptwo.org to download a Stop Top Two flier & view a list of opponents across the political spectrum. Bumper stickers will be available soon!
Whether it’s their real reason or not, I’m glad they are calling attention to the issue.
I’m surprised they would actually oppose it for the reason that it “silences 3rd party voices.” I would have thought their interest would be in preventing elections in certain parts of CA from becoming a D-D general election.
The great compromise, that purchased Maldonado’s vote for raising our taxes, is opposed by just about everyone.
Sweet. Too bad we can’t undo Maldonado’s vote by rejecting 14.
During 2004, while I was state chair in California, we worked closely with the CRP to defeat Proposition 62 Voter Choice Open Primary Act, a very similar initiative that would have prevented Libertarians from showing up on the November ballot. We would have been out of business permanently.
Proposition 62 garnered 46% support on election day.
Former California GOP chairman Shawn Steele addressed our state convention and we passed a resolution there condeming Proposition 62.
Together, we helped pass a competing measure, Proposition 60, which guarantees that the winner of each party’s primary will be on the November ballot. The measure passed with 67% of the vote.
Success in politics is primarily about finding where we agree with others, rather than where we disagree.
If we only condemn our opponents and not find excuses to praise them, we lose out on opportunites to work with them for positive change.
Whenever possible, it’s often more effective to adopt the sincere and more charitable attitude that our opponents are well-meaning, but sometimes misguided, rather than to declare that they are evil.
The CRP’s three points:
* FIGHT the Health Care Takeover — Support Senator Tony Strickland’s bills which will require your vote before any government imposed healthcare system is forced on you.
* FIGHT for Your Right to Vote – Stop Prop 14 which silences 3rd party voices and ensures that nominees won’t be chosen at the ballot box but by insiders and committees.
* FIGHT the Global Warming Tax – Support the suspension of AB 32 which imposes massive taxes and regulations on all Californians, causing corporations to increase prices and small business owners to fail.
Thanks to the CRP for supporting the rights of alternative parties to participate in the process. Perhaps they will encourage their elected state legislators to introduce and vote for legislation that will lower the threshhold for alt-parties to qualify as ballot-certified parties to begin with?