The San Diego Reader is a free weekly newspaper that has existed since 1972. Its latest issue has this story, which tries to determine who is paying for the literature that has been being postally mailed to California voters ever since late last year. The brochures say they are from the California Independent Voters Project. The return address is the law office of the attorney for the pro-Proposition 14 forces.
As the Reader article says, the California Independent Voters Project is a 501(c)(4) organization, so it doesn’t need to say where its contributions come from. The author of the article was able to learn that Eli Lilly Company, the drug manufacterer, contributed.
Another committee to support Proposition 14, called “Yes on 14 – Californians for an Open Primary” is registered with the Secretary of State, and it does disclose its contributors and expenses. It has received over $500,000 in contributions so far. However, it has spent almost nothing, and thus could not be the source of the financing for the postal mailings.
ya noticed that the Establishment’s best friend, the Sandy Ego Union Tribune, said not a word …………
I like open primaries. We have one here in Washington, and I hope the good people of California get one too, it decreases partisanship and makes it easier for moderates to win office.
When Washington used top-two for the first time in 2008, the two candidates who advanced to the November ballot for Governor were Christina Gregoire and Dino Rossi. Do you think of them as moderates?
California’s Prop. 14 is significantly worse than Washington state’s system. Washington at least lets everyone choose his or her own label; Prop. 14 does not.
Washington at least counts write-ins in November when the vote-counting equipment suggest that a write-in may have won. California’s proposal says write-ins can never be counted in November for Congress and state office.
Washington’s primary is in late August, so at least minor party and independent candidates can campaign in the late spring and most of the summer. California cuts off those campaigns the first week in June.
Washington’s law at least lets unqualified parties have easy access to the November ballot for president. California’s Prop. 14 would eliminate parties from the ballot if they don’t have about 100,000 registered members, so they couldn’t even have presidential ballot status any longer.