Independent Voter Project Calls on CA SOS Candidates to Reject Press Club Invitation

image
Published: 22 Apr, 2014
Updated: 21 Nov, 2022
2 min read

To All Candidates for Secretary of State,

As co-chairs of the Independent Voter Project, we are respectfully requesting that all of the candidates for secretary of state decline to participate in the Sacramento Press Club event scheduled for Wednesday. The Press Club has chosen to deny David Curtis, a Green Party candidate, the right to participate in this debate.

This decision reflects both an ongoing bias in the media against third party candidates, a fundamental lack of understanding of California's nonpartisan primary system, and a level of hubris generally reserved for politicians. The club has justified its position by claiming that Mr. Curtis was "rude."

If so, it is for voters to pass judgement, not the Press Club. We speak from experience when we say every candidate has a right to make an ass of themselves, and the voters have a right to see it. And, candidly, voters often judge candidates quite differently than we might expect.

The two major parties continue to enjoy a competitive advantage in both fundraising and free media attention. This, of course, has the effect of undermining the rights of the fastest growing group of voters in our state -- independents.

In the old closed primary system, Mr. Curtis would have been ignored by the Press Club twice. Once in the primary and again in the general election. And, in that system, it was true that Mr. Curtis had no chance of actually winning the election.

However, as both public and private polling has confirmed, Mr. Curtis has a very real chance of making a top-two runoff in this year's secretary of state race. Moreover, if he were to make it to November against a Republican opponent, Mr. Curtis would be favored to win the seat.

When the press appoints itself as the arbiter of candidate access, it undermines our democracy and infringes upon each voter's right to a comprehensive view of the choice of candidates. Those who seek to be this state's chief election officer should be at the forefront of protecting that right. To fail to stand up for Mr. Curtis is to fail to stand up for each of those voters.

Sincerely,

Steve Peace

IVP Donate

Jeff Marston

INDEPENDENT VOTER PROJECT

Author of California's Open Primary

P.S. We also respectfully recommend, in the event that the Press Club should see reason and reverse its position, that Mr. Curtis recognize that his opportunity to be a serious contender is dependent, in part, on his ability to demonstrate an ability to express his passion and his beliefs in a manner that voters associate with civility and mutual respect. A fact underscored in the same polling and focus groups that point to his potential as the first third-party candidate to be elected to a California statewide office.

Photo Credit: Brandon Bourdages / shutterstock.com

Latest articles

CA capitol building dome with flags.
Why is CA Senator Mike McGuire Trying to Kill the Legal Cannabis Industry?
California’s legal cannabis industry is under mounting pressure, and in early June, state lawmakers and the governor appeared poised to help. A bill to freeze the state’s cannabis excise tax at 15% sailed through the State Assembly with a unanimous 74-0 vote. The governor’s office backed the plan. And legal cannabis businesses, still struggling to compete with unregulated sellers and mounting operating costs, saw a glimmer of hope....
03 Jul, 2025
-
7 min read
I voted buttons
After First RCV Election, Charlottesville Voters Back the Reform: 'They Get It, They Like It, They Want to Do It Again'
A new survey out of Charlottesville, Virginia, shows overwhelming support for ranked choice voting (RCV) following the city’s first use of the system in its June Democratic primary for City Council. Conducted one week after the election, the results found that nearly 90% of respondents support continued use of RCV....
03 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Crowd in Time Square.
NYC Exit Survey: 96% of Voters Understood Their Ranked Choice Ballots
An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections....
01 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read