On March 27, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signed HB 223. It outlaws out-of-state circulators for candidate petitions and recall peetitions, except that it permits them for presidential candidate petitions.
The new law is likely unconstitutional. Wisconsin is in the Seventh Circuit, and the Seventh Circuit ruled in 2000 in an Illinois case that states cannot ban out-of-state circulators.
George Skelton, the dean of political columnists for the Los Angeles Times, writes here that it is time for California to stop using a top-two primary.
The column reveals that the state chair of the Democratic Party, Rusty Hicks, agrees with that.
Only two candidates filed to be on the California primary ballot for Assembly, 59th district. One is the incumbent Republican, Phillip Chen. The other is Green Party member Victor Hernandez. It is therefore extremely likely that those two will both appear on the November ballot, although conceivably a write-in candidate in the primary might qualify.
The 59th district is in northern Orange County.
Hernandez is the only minor party member this year in California who is in a two-person primary race.
CALIFORNIA TOP-TWO SYSTEM DRAWS CRITICISM FROM SUPPORTERS AND OPPONENTS ALIKE
California has used a top-two system starting in 2011, but never before has it faced such critical commentary. This is because of the persistent possibility that it might create a November ballot that lists only two Republicans, with no write-in space.
Paul Mitchell, a Democratic statistician, has a website that estimates the probability that two Republicans will place first and second on June 2. On February 26, it estimated the probability of that happening at 20.0%. See twins-production-9381.up.railway.app. It followed a PPIC Poll released earlier that day showing Republican Steve Hilton 14%; Democrat Katie Porter 13%; Republican Chad Bianco 12%; Democrat Eric Swalwell 11%; Democrat Tom Steyer 10%. No one else had more than 5%. Undecided was 10%.
Every commentator believes that a November ballot with only two Republicans would be an unjust ballot. Democrats consistently poll 60% in statewide partisan general elections in California, if there is one Democrat and one Republican running. Even some of the leaders who supported the top-two system have said so recently.
Former State Senator Steve Peace wrote recently, “It’s time for more choice in California. Nonpartisan top-four (or five) primaries that allow voters more candidates in the general election are the next great nonpartisan reform.” Peace was one of the top-two system’s boosters when it was on the ballot in 2010.
Although many articles about the California gubernatorial race recycle the same old information, this article in The Hill has original thoughts.
