From Richard Winger at Ballot Access News:
The Alameda County Green Party here suggests that California voters vote next month, but that they cast blank ballots for all the seven partisan statewide races. California is the only state this year in which voters cannot vote for any statewide partisan office unless they vote for a Democrat or a Republican.
The appeal is in Indybay.org (San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center), a well-read on-line news source.
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From the Green Party of Alameda County:
The June primary has come and gone with the predictable results, desired by the establishment. Because of Prop. 14 ( the Top-Two Primary), no candidates of the small parties will be on the ballot for state-wide office in the November general election, nor for any local partisan office within Alameda County. So much for the lies of the Prop. 14 proponents about increased choices. Prop. 14 even took away the possibility of the write-in option, so the sham democracy that now exists should be obvious to anyone.
Given this shameful situation, we thought much about what our position should be regarding the partisan races for the November election. We recommend that people BOYCOTT the statewide partisan contests in the November election. (Specifically, the following 7 statewide offices: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, Attorney General, and Insurance Commissioner.) And also most of the other partisan offices: U.S. Congress, State Senate, State Assembly (unless you decide to vote in the District 15 contest – see writeup), and State Board Noof Equalization.
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We do want to be absolutely clear that we are NOT asking people not to vote at all. There are important ballot measures and worthwhile local non-partisan candidates that are worth supporting. So please DO VOTE—but with the exception of the above-listed partisan races!
It would be possible, but extremely expensive, and I don’t know whether anyone who has the willingness has anywhere near the kind of money to even get it on the ballot. And then if they did they would be drowned in a well-funded deluge of advertising by the real establishment big money interests that fund “top two” because they want to keep all real alternatives out of the real election deceptively claiming that it is a sneak attack to revive the bad old system by “party machine bosses,” which is of course total nonsense.
Total nonsense. The top one masquerading as two system is designed specifically so real alternatives fail to get in the election. Not only do we have a right to complain, we ARE right to complain, and no one should vote for any of the false choices produced by this perverse system.
Yep.
Exactly!
better then a repeal, would be an initiative that switches California over to a ranked choice instant run off November election.
“If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.”
Antirevolutionary seems to think the purpose of an election is to choose between two options which one is better. In free and fair elections, people choose among a large number of candidates which best represents their views. Notice I said elections, not primaries. Americans have been deprived of this right for centuries.
AR also seems to think that if you hold a minority view, you do not have a right to express that right on election days. His views are very dangerous, but sadly not uncommon.
BTW a bit off-topic, but now that its been tried & people have seen the realities of top two in CA, would it be possible to get a repeal Proposition on the ballot?
that’s a funny reading of the 1st amendment. Of course you have they right to complain.
Green voters already had an opportunity to get their candidates into the election and they failed. If you don’t vote for one of the lesser evils, you don’t have a right to complain.
Top-two is absolutely terrible. I’m very concerned about this crap spreading around the country.
The Greens are right, it is a shameful situation. Thanks to Ballot Access News (Richard Winger) for covering this, and Jed Ziggler for reporting here.
“Sham democracy” is right. At least in Hong Kong, people are out on the streets protesting.