Californians voted in favor of Prop 14 last night by a healthy margin. The open primary referendum empowers 3.4 million “decline-to-state” registered independents in the state, and is good news for independents and nonpartisan voters throughout the country. Partian control of elections has become a major obstacle to policy that truly represents the sentiments of voters, and is increasingly dangerous to our country.
Congrats to all!
LATEST ON PROP 14:
Parties talk about lawsuit challenging ‘open’ primary victory (Sac Bee/Capitol Alert, Posted by Susan Ferriss) Jason Olson, director of Independent Voice, a group that backed that measure, predicted that more decline-to-state voters would turn out for primary elections with the Proposition 14 approach. Independent voters are now about 20 percent of all California’s registered voters.
California Voters Back Election Overhaul (By JESSE McKINLEY, NY Times) Richard Winger, a prominent opponent of the measure, said that “California now has the most restrictive general election ballot access in the nation,” but acknowledged the sour mood of the electorate.
State Ballot Measures – Statewide Results (California Statewide Primary Election Results, Sec of State) 54.6% yes on 14
California voters approve revolutionary ‘open’ primary (By Susan Ferriss, Fresno Bee) Disgruntled California voters have blown up their election system by approving Proposition 14, which tosses out the current political party-based primary system in all but presidential races… That revolutionary approach doesn’t bother Jason Olson, director of Independent Voice, a group that backed Proposition 14.
For more news for independent voters and Prop 14, see The Hankster
Provocateur/ pundit/ organizer Nancy Hanks is a long-time activist in the independent political movement who’s done it all: petitioning to put independent candidates on the ballot from New York to Texas and points east, west, north and south; fundraising for the independent think tank, the Committee for a Unified Independent Party (CUIP), and its online counterpart, IndependentVoting.org; running as an independent for New York City Council from Queens, New York City’s most diverse borough; serving as the current Treasurer of the Queens County Committee of the Independence Party of New York (of the IP NYC Organizations); conducting research for the Neo-Independent, a magazine that addresses the concerns of independent voters.