I am amazed that the numbers are that high. Especially in closed primary states where you can’t even vote unless you join a party.

Even 25% is 10x higher than 2.5% Richard.

To me, it means approaching each issue on its own merits; no self-starters.

Your partisan frame of reference is difficult to wrestle with. I can point to a candidate catering to voters outside his partisan base (Eric Swallwell for example in his defeat of Peter Stark). Here, he had to win

You continue to look at things through a partisan frame of reference. Not about parties. About people. That’s what top-two does; makes the system about representing individuals, not groups of people called political parties.

You continue to look at things through a partisan frame of reference. Not about parties. About people. That’s what top-two does; makes the system about representing individuals, not groups of people called political parties.

All the more important. All parties can participate in the primary. When you live in a dominant one-party state, the candidates today literally don’t have to listen to the voters from the minority party AT ALL.

Retweeting selfies definitely makes him more personable. Great post Chelsea! I think it’s important to highlight when politicians, who are traditionally pretty rigid, step outside of their box and do something unique online.

I agree. The job market is changing quickly and the courses taught in schools are not always relevant 5-10 years after education. Teaching skill sets that will help students apply knowledge to any field might be

How will the fact that some states are reluctant to accept these standards affect the overall success of the program?

Great analysis – the fact that the top-two has lead to a 40% turnover rate in Washington is huge…one of the major problems with elections is the the ease at which incumbents maintain their seats. Voter

I have trouble figuring out how common core will do better or end up differently than No Child Left Behind

Top two is about voters and accountability…this is what, I believe, opponents are missing. I appreciate many of the counter-arguments, but the Top-Two can’t be viewed from a candidate-centric lens. The very

We should always use caution going into war. We’ve been a perpetual war state for well over a decade now, although we don’t see it directly at home. This is unfortunate and, unfortunately, could be part of the

Richard, why would this “incorporation of ideas” not occur under top-two? The only difference is that this “incorporation of ideas” would have to occur faster, out of a CANDIDATES necessity of appealing to the

All parties, including third parties, hate California’s new system because it reduces the ability of political parties to control the outcome of the election … its a fundamental shift in the electoral process

Also, great quote! “Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”

Do you know what percentage of the CA budget is spent on education?

“Constituents are not customers” — exactly. being a customer implies that we are buying something that isn’t already ours. When it comes to our government and what it provides, there are certain things that are

In my opinion, the whole point about being an independent is that you DON’T belong to a party…you don’t vote based on a party platform, you vote based on issue. An Independent party kind of goes against what, in

I agree, and I think they are…I wrote an article about it a little while back. http://ivn.us/editors-blog/2012/10/06/religion-and-political-parties-are-suffering-from-the-same-problem/

You’d think this would be a reality check for those serving in Congress…

Wendy – I’m really enjoying this series…I think these issues are often times under reported or misreported. It’s important to have this conversation.

No amount of money will encourage sexually assaulted military members to speak out though, making the problem even more troubling.

Bees can’t digest the toxicity in certain pesticides being used and when adult bees die, it leads to the collapse of the whole colony…this link has been proven and there’s a lot of research on this…it’s kind

People don’t realize HOW IMPORTANT BEES ARE. Seriously…they are responsible for almost 1/3 of domestic agriculture aka 1/3 of our diets. The ecosystem is a beautifully complex system and humans are just one part

National standardization will always be difficult. Education has traditionally been a state and local responsibility; whether there are mandates or financial “incentives” at the federal level, its a manner of

Baffling and troubling.

In an environment where all candidates receive money, it’s hard not to let money corrupt. For example, if a candidate chose not to accept money for moral reasons, they would be significantly disadvantaged…so i

Agreed, but you have to balance the need for safety with the burden of over-regulation … if you get tied up in regulation and costly testing/red-tape, California is never going to reduce its energy costs, which

I had no idea conservative c4 spending was so much higher than liberal spending … that’s amazing

Zaremberg is exactly right. Why do we have these crazy restrictions on individual candidates, and then allow independent organizations to collect unlimited money??? Then we wonder with the IE’s have so much power.

Allowing citizens to request water quality testing and providing public information on the practice and potential dangers of fracking is a good start … but in my opinion, the practice should be halted until

“1. The standards create a lack of diversity” — couldn’t this also mean that students from different states are now given equal opportunity in the job market?

Interesting article Lucas…I think that right now, everyone’s quick to blame, but it’s interesting to see how the 501(c)4 status has changed over time, and what that means for the IRS.

Great point Drew. I think that those who are phased by this come from all across the political spectrum. Democrats, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, Green etc…this could be an opportunity to unite voters

Top-two primary isn’t about candidates. It’s about voters. California has the most moderate legislature in decades despite being controlled by a Democratic majority following the first top-two election … in