Measures K and L: San Diego City Elections Reformed in Historic Vote

image
Jeff PowersJeff Powers
Published: 09 Nov, 2016
1 min read

San Diego, CALIF.-Democracy is best served when the most voters are participating. That was the signature tenet of Measures K and L and it rang true with wins for the two measures that will amend the City Charter of San Diego.

Measure K won with 58% of the vote. Measure L won with 65% of the vote.

Written by the Independent Voter Project, Measure K will align San Diego with the State of California’s election rules, using the same nonpartisan top-two runoff process to elect our mayor, city attorney and council members as we use to elect the Governor, state legislators, and members of Congress.

Chad Peace, attorney with the Independent Voter Project, and author of Measure K said, “Quietly, San Diego did something quite important. Measure K will not necessarily change who will get elected in the future. But it will ensure that our leaders are accountable to everyone.”

And, drafted by Alliance San Diego, Measure L will ensure that citizen initiatives and referendums are voted on only in the November general election, when the most voters participate.

Unlike state and federal offices, a local 50%+1 election loophole allowed special interests to elect their candidates when fewer voters were involved in the decision-making process. In San Diego’s last 36 elections, 19 were decided in the June primary, when turnout is often half of what it is in the November General Election.

Voters rationally assume the races are actually being decided in the general election. Measure K will eliminate the confusion and that loophole.

For the same reason, Measure L amends the Charter to require all local ballot measures to appear on the November ballot instead of the June primary ballot.

You Might Also Like

National Reform Organizations Condemn Texas and California Over Gerrymandering
National Reform Organizations Condemn Texas and California Over Gerrymandering
The United States has passed the point of no return in the unprecedented mid-cycle redistricting fight between Texas and California, which threatens to expand to other states like Republican-controlled Florida and Democratic-controlled New York....
25 Aug, 2025
-
6 min read
Gerrymandering Wars Escalate Beyond Texas and California: A National Race to the Bottom?
Gerrymandering Wars Escalate Beyond Texas and California: A National Race to the Bottom?
Republicans currently hold a narrow 219 to 212 edge over Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, with four vacancies: three from Democratic members who have died and one from a Republican who has resigned. This is the smallest House majority held by either party in nearly a century. The razor-thin margin means the stakes in the 2026 midterms could not be higher. With so few competitive seats left nationwide, both parties are turning to mid-decade redistricting as a way to secure advantages....
27 Aug, 2025
-
10 min read
Hand in ballot that says independent on it.
Why 1.2 Million California Independents Are The Biggest Wild Card in American Politics Today
The fate of Proposition 50, California’s proposed redistricting measure, may come down to voters who have declined to join one of the two major political parties....
22 Aug, 2025
-
5 min read