According to this story in the Oregonian, wealthy individuals have contributed $163,600 toward the Oregon initiative for a top-two system. These contributions are going to the initiative that would create the same type of system now used in Washington and California. It is not going to the rival initiative that would implement a top-two system in combination with approval voting in the primary.

The Oregon initiative appears to ban write-ins in the general election, although this is not certain, because the measure is vague. The press in Oregon persists in referring to this as an “open primary”. However, “open primary” has been defined for over 100 years as a system in which each party has its own primary ballot and its own nominees, but there is no registration by party and any voter can choose any party’s primary ballot. Backers of top-two in Oregon use the label “open primary” in their advertising, even though if the measure qualifies for the ballot, it will not be described on the ballot as an “open primary.”