Todd Carney, an attorney who writes for Real Clear Politics, has this article about California’s top-two system. Thanks to Fairvote for the link.
The article has a factual error near the end, when it discusses the Alaska top-four system. It says there are no minor party or independent candidates for Alaska statewide office general elections this year. Actually, the U.S. House race has a Libertarian running in November.
NOOOO PRIMARIES
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TOTSOP
I know some Libertarians don’t like the California top-two because it removes our ability to play spoiler. I for one dont’ want to play spoiler, I want to win. I think its a better system than most. I like political parties, that’s why I have donated generiously to one for over 20 years. But parties do more than just nominate people, and when they are not being ousted when the political culture changes, as is the case in most Western European countries, but instead just change with the times, like the two old parties in the U.S., the lose their value anyway.
Top 2 allows us to put our efort twoard any candidate we prefer for the primary, and when only 1 or 2 good ones make it through to November, the Party can put all of its resources tward winning that race, than “supporting” 60 that are all hop to get 1%.
“Spoiling” occurs often in top-two systems. The “spoiling” goes on in the primary.
The author wasn’t too far off. If there had not been a withdrawal the Libertarian would not be in the November congressional mix.
Nobody wants to play spoiler and it is absurd to make such a claim. When an alternative candidate achieves a greater number of votes than the difference between the two establishment party candidates that is seen as beneficial in drawing attention, and potentially greater future support, for the alternative party candidate so that they or someone similar in the future.
It’s clear that alternative candidates are less able to make it to the general election, the real election, under Top Two(or other Top-X systems) and thus have less opportunity to reach the public and gain support for that election and for the future.
It remains the case that a primary that allows the minority who vote in primary elections removes entire categories of candidates reduces choices for the vast majority of voters who only participate in general elections.
Anyone who believes that a Top Two system is beneficial for alternative candidates needs to either demonstrate proof of concept and get some wins or accept the reality that Top Two does nothing but further insulate the grip on power of the establishment parties.
The top two system would be even better if only Republicans were eligible, and if they had to be approved for the ballot by Republican committees, and if all Republican committees were 100% loyal to Trump (meaning loyal to America).
Spoiling is the only way that voters have to frustrate plurality options.
The solution is to try alternative voting systems.
The best alternate voting system is no ballots at all.
The concern with write in ballots is handwriting. The concern with print at home ballots is ballot stuffing. Fine. I have a better solution: the caucus voting system.
You show up in the evening after a hard day’s work on the farm or in the factory while your wife washes the dishes, mops the floors, does laundry, and puts the kids to bed, and spend a few hours standing in a corner of a big room in front of all your neighbors together with the supporters of your party while some of your party’s supporters make speeches to convince undecided and persuadable voters to come over to your corner. All voting is strictly by party; the party committee meets in a back room filled with thick cigar smoke to pick the candidates. To qualify a party you must get above a certain threshold of voters in above a certain threshold of precincts to stand in their corner on election day.
You may have to spend a few hours standing in a corner of a room together with your neighbors who support your party, but you won’t have to stand in line to vote. Can’t face your neighbors and let them know which party you support? Stay home, you do not deserve to vote.
It should go without saying that only White, property owning men who are members of a Christian church should be allowed to vote. There should be a literacy test, a poll tax, and the voting age should be raised to 30. There should also be a requirement that men have a wife and at least two children to be allowed to vote, and that their father’s father should have also been a registered voter in the same county. This would fix the vast majority of political problems in this country.