Thursday, July 17, 2014

Oregon Will Have a Top-Two Primary Initiative on the Ballot


Oregonians could dramatically alter the way they choose candidates if a ballot initiative to open the state's primary elections passes in November.

The Oregon Open Primary Initiative qualified for the November ballot with 91,716 valid signatures, according to the Secretary of State's Office.

The measure would create a new, nonpartisan primary election process where candidates from all parties appear on a single ballot.  The two candidates who received the most votes in that election would advance to a general election.

Supporters of the measure point to the rising number of Oregonians who choose not to register as a Republican or Democrat as a sign the mood is shifting.  Nearly one-third of the state's voters currently belong to a minor party or have no party affiliation.

Allowing all registered voters from a district to be involved in selecting the general election candidates is one of the strongest arguments for the initiative, said Edwin Dover, a political science professor at Western Oregon University.  He also said the initiative could be a workaround for gerrymandering, which is a way of drawing districts so they favor one party over another.

The campaign has received more than $500,000 in donations, according to online records from the Secretary of State's Office.

"I've seen a number of ballot measures defeated and come back and win," Dover said. "I think there is a general disgust with the legislative process in the country that could push this idea over the top."










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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2 comments:

richardwinger said...

The promoters of the Oregon initiative, and most big Oregon newspapers, keep trying to call it the "open primary", even though it will not be on the ballot as "open primary" and even though it is not an open primary; it is a top-two primary.

The Oregon promoters also claim their idea treats all voters equally, but the evidence from California and Washington rebuts them. It treats Democratic voters and Republican voters far more favorably, because those voters will be able to vote for members of their party in November. It treats voters who want to vote for minor parties horribly, disenfranchising them in November. 7% of Oregon voters are minor party members.

mhdrucker said...

I agree with you. You know how I feel about Top-Two.