By Mimi Robson, Chair Libertarian Party of California — June 26, 2022
I would like to thank the Executive Committee for overwhelmingly passing the motion to endorse Kevin Kiley’s bill, ACA 16 which would overturn the top-two primaries in California back to partisan primaries. The bill was introduced on June 20th to meet the deadline for it to be included on the November 2022 ballot if it passes, so it’s important we start working now to get the word out.
The California Party has been opposed to the top two since its inception in 2010 when Proposition 14 passed (less than overwhelmingly with a vote of 53%-47%). The longtime language in our platform was:
“Many alternative systems exist which could allow voters to better express their preferences, avoiding issues like ‘wasted votes’, and even potentially lower the cost of holding elections. Ranked choice and approval voting are well-known examples. We urge the legislature and local jurisdictions to give these systems serious consideration. The current Top Two primary system is inferior to any of these and disenfranchises voters who support alternative parties, so we call for its repeal.”
Although we no longer have a California-specific platform I believe this is the consensus of all party members.
Now that the motion has passed, I would like to send out a call to action to all of our members as well as all Californians. Time is of the essence as this bill was just introduced on June 20th and is in the process of being referred to committee (I believe the first committee will be the judicial committee). Currently, the legislature is on its summer recess until after the 4th of July holiday so it’s a good time to reach out to them as they are most likely in their home offices. Every member of the assembly should be contacted urging them to support this bill and once again leave it to Californians to decide.
That being said, I believe the first step is getting a press release out as soon as possible, as well as a call to action through an email campaign and social media. I will work with anyone that wants to get this going!
In Liberty,
Mimi Robson, LP California Chair
hmrobson@ca.lp.org