Massachusetts voters will see an initiative on their November ballot for a top-two system.
Here is the website of the supporters, yeson3ma.org.
Here is the website of the opponents, votenoon3mass.com.
Also, Progressive Massachusetts has a portion of its website in opposition to Question Three. It has links to scholarly articles that find top-two does not improve elections. See it here.
Top-two has been defeated by voters seven times, and has passed twice, in California in 2010 and Washington in 2004. Its losses were in California in 2004, Oregon 2008, Arizona 2012, Oregon again 2014, South Dakota 2016, Florida 2020, and South Dakota 2024. In all these ballot battles, supporters of top-two always significantly outspent opponents, sometimes even ten to one.
UPDATE: Massachusetts sends a pamphlet “Information for Voters” to every registered voter, with arguments for and against each statewide ballot measure. Here is the portion of the booklet about Question Three.
NOOOO EXTREMIST PRIMARIES
ONE ELECTION DAY
EQUAL BALLOT ACCESS – NOM PETS/FILING FEES
PR
APPV
TOTSOP
How’s it polling?
In the 1996 Special Congressional Elections in Texas, in the 10 districts there were 10 independent candidates, one Socialist Worker Party, 2 US Taxpayer, and 2 Libertarian candidates.
One of the Libertarian candidates had been nominated by convention, but re-qualified for the special election. I don’t believe the other Libertarian had been nominated, but qualified for the primary. The US Taxpayer Party had qualified, but the candidates would have had to requalify. The Natural Law Party had qualified, and had nominated candidates in the other unchanged districts, but none in the changed districts.
Jim Riley: does that have something to do with the article or prior comments? If so, what’s the connection?
I, Wanda
Opponents of Open Primaries claim that they keep minor parties and independents off the ballot. But when Texas used open primaries in some congressional districts in 1996, independent candidates flourished, and the Socialist Workers Party had a candidate on the ballot.
In Alaska this year it is likely that seven independents will be elected to the House of Representatives.
Re Texas, was that because some districts did not have both a democrat and republican running running, or was it because you are counting candidates in the qualifying round who didn’t make it to the general election? Was it top 2, top X, or like a Louisiana election where someone can be actually elected in the first round if they get 50% + 1?
Those are very important differences .
The Alaska system also has big differences from the California and Washington systems. The Alaska system is relatively better, but the ooutgoing Louisiana system is better than that. I suspect the Texas election you refer to was most like Louisiana but you would know for sure.