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Protecting the Open Primary

IVP is committed to protecting the Open Primary in California, to educating voters, elected officials, candidates, and the media about what it means, and promoting the open primary concept in other states.  These are the measures completed or anticipated to protect the Open Primary in California.

  • During the 2010 election, leaders of both parties tried to sue the Secretary of State to place a misleading and unfavorable description of Proposition 14 on the ballot. The Independent Voter Project intervened on behalf of California’s voters and stopped this underhanded tactic.
  • In 2011, party leaders initiated Assembly Bill 1413 (Fong-D), which would have amended the elections code re-instate the old system.  IVP and other proponents of open and fair elections were able to defeat this measure and stave off attempts by the legislature to revert to the old, broken, and closed system.
  • IVP is active in the legal defense of the Open Primary – facing several challenges initiated in 2011.
  • An extensive “candidate and voter education” program will be launched in January that will advise candidates, elected officials, voters, and the media about changes brought about by the Open Primary Initiative.
open primary guides Supportdownload voter guide Supportdownload candidate guide Support

Building a Support Structure

Open Primary has the potential to be a critical tool in returning stability and rationality to the governmental decision-making by restoring competition to the election process. The Independent Voter Project seeks to build a support structure that links independent thinking voters and the political process in ways that are consistent with how independent voters think. Without such a support structure, the political parties will manipulate the process to their benefit and, in time, erode the critical elements of the reform itself. However, it is only a platform.


About Candidate Support

IVP does not directly or indirectly promote candidates. However, candidates who are independents and partisan candidates who care about the votes of 3.8 million independents will learn how to utilize the IVN platform to communicate with independents and voters who think independently – including those who may have a party preference.  Ultimately, the best protection for independent voter rights could be the election of independent candidates. If this were to happen in 2012–even in one race–it might be a “game changing” event.