On March 20, the Public Policy Institute of California released this poll, which covers many topics related to California government and elections. One of the questions asks if voters feel the Democratic and Republican Parties are doing an “adequate job”, or whether the nation needs a new major political party. See page 23.
The results are that 51% of California voters feel a new major party is needed, 39% feel the two old parties are doing an adequate job, and 10% don’t know. When the results are broken down, one sees that independent voters are much more likely to say a new major party is needed. The results for independent voters are: 68% feel a new major party is needed, 27% do not, and 6% don’t know.
Other parts of the poll show that Californians continue to be very supportive of the initiative process.
With those kinds of percentages, if more of these people were SMART and DETERMINED enough to actually act like the informed electorate the Founding Fathers assumed we would still have, they would begin flocking to minor parties. Major parties don’t just appear out of nowhere, not in a democratic (in theory in our case) nation that’s been around for at least a century or two. They have to be built up from minor party status first. If any minor parties have the potential to break the current monopoly one day, it’s probably the Greens and Libertarians.
More or less control freak STATISM — NOTHING new in 6,000 plus years.
The U.S.A. is NOW about where things were in 1932 Germany — Donkey communists v. Elephant fascists.
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P.R. and nonpartisan App.V.
Very poorly structured question.
Voters were asked whether had a favorable impression of the Democratic party; then whether they had a favorable impression of the Republican party. They were then asked which party is more concerned with people like you. 11% volunteered neither, 4% did not know, and 3% volunteered both equally.
Then the question was asked about whether a 3rd major party was needed.
It is quite likely that people were actually saying they didn’t like “the other” party and there should be a replacement, rather than if there was a 3rd major that they would or join or support it.
There should have been follow-up question, asking about various platform planks.
If this 3rd party supported X, would you be more likely to join, or less likely to join.
Won’t the people of California be surprised when they wake up and find out that they now live in an evil one-party state as in the old USSR. They aren’t even aware yet of what “top-two” means.
The people want more choices and “top-two” will eliminate free elections and will eventually eliminate all choices.
I wish it was true but every post-election year, you have these polls come out asking voters if they’d welcome a third party, with high % every single time! Then, years later, they fall into the 2 party trap! 🙁
Independent voters should stay right where they are. They are now the largest block of voters, but cannot be candidates for office because of federal court rulings that exclude them from protection under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Republican Party is done. That leaves Democrats and independent voters. Independent voters will have to win that contest in order to keep their freedom.