Organization File Proposed CA Constitutional Initiative to Restore Semi-Closed Primaries

Thanks to Richard Winger of Ballot Access News for this post.

On August 11th, Thomas E. Palzer and his Organization Foundation to Stop Top Two filed a Proposed Constitutional Initiative with the California Attorney General.

Because the Initiative Measure is a Repeal, the wording of Proposition 14 (2010), which Created the Top-Two, will be Removed followed by Section 5. (a) and 5. (b) to read as follows:

SEC. 5. (a) The Legislature shall provide for partisan primary elections for presidential candidates, and political party and party central committees, partisan offices, including an open presidential primary whereby the candidates on the ballot are those found by the Secretary of State to be recognized candidates throughout the nation or throughout California for the office of President of the United States, and those whose names are placed on the ballot by petition, but excluding any candidate who has withdrawn by filing an affidavit of noncandidacy.

SEC. 5. (b) A political party that participated participates in a primary election for a partisan office pursuant to subdivision (c) has the right to participate in the general election for that office and shall not be denied the ability to place on the general election ballot the candidate who received, at the primary election, the highest vote among that party’s candidates.

CLICK HERE to read the full text, two page (pdf).

It would return California to the system used between 2001 and 2010.

Parties would again have their own Nominees and their Party Primary Ballots and each Party would decide whether to let Independent Voters vote in its Primaries.

When California had this system 2001-2010, both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party always let Independent Voters vote in their Congressional and State Office Primaries.

The Press frequently did not understand that. There was confusion because in 2008, the California Republican Party did not allow Independents to vote in its Presidential Primary, but it did allow Independents to Vote in the Republican Primary for Congress and Partisan State Office.

The California Top-Two system, on the Ballot in June 2010, was not an Initiative. The California Legislature voted to put it on the Ballot.

The Foundation to Stop Top Two will seek Contributions to help pay for the Petition Drive, which can’t start until the Attorney General processes the Submission.

The Initiative could be ready to start Circulating in late October or early November.

Thomas Palzer is a Republican Party Activist, but his group is Non-Partisan.

CLICK HERE for more information about Foundation to Stop Top Two.











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