Some Oregon activists who care about minor parties and independent candidates have created this webpage, to assist the campaign against the “top-two” initiative on the Oregon ballot.
Some Oregon activists who care about minor parties and independent candidates have created this webpage, to assist the campaign against the “top-two” initiative on the Oregon ballot.
NO party hack primaries are needed.
General election ballot access via equal nominating petitions.
P.R. for legislative body elections.
Approval Voting for executive/judicial offices.
Political *science* has moved on beyond party hack primaries and party hack gerrymanders.
Great website, thanks for posting the link.
The site is quite deceptive.
First, ex-Governor Roberts does not show her political affiliation. How is someone supposed to think, without having a D or R next to the name of the writer?
If there is a long drawn out campaign, it is because Oregon holds its primary in May. Move it to September and that problem is solved.
How exactly is a list of candidates “complicated”? Oregon votes entirely by mail and provides a voter’s guide.
If there are races in which the top 2 candidates are from the same party, it is quite likely the case that under the current system that the race would decided in the primary. So under the current system, Democrats (or Republicans) are excluded from the actual decision as to who is elected, and at best being able to vote for NOTA, a 3rd party candidate, or perhaps someone who had the money to pay the filing fee to “win” nomination of their party. Under the Top 2 system such voters would be able to participate in both the primary and the general election.
In the 2006 election for the Oregon House (60 seats) only 2 Republicans (O Democrats) would have been eliminated by a Top 2 primary, such that the the November election would have been between two Democrats. In those 2 districts, the Democrat candidate received 80% and 77% of the vote in the November election. In both of them, the 2nd placed Democrat roughly doubled the support of the Republican candidate. There were roughly 2.5 times as many votes cast in the November election as in the May primary, despite it being practically speaking a rubber stamp of the decision made by a small cadre of Democrat voters 4 months earlier.
A Top 2 system is more likely to result in independent candidates being actually competitive and elected. Supporters of 3rd parties will be able to vote for their candidate in the primary and be less concerned about wasting their vote.