Susan von Seggern
Chad Peace, legal strategist for the Independent Voter Project (IVP), was featured on Dr. David D. Schein's Saving America podcast to discuss a topic of growing importance in America's hyper-partisan ecosystem:
Primary elections are far more important than many voters realize—and many voters are denied access to them.
Peace starts off talking about Measure K in San Diego, which was IVP's successful 2016 initiative to ensure that city elections do not end in the primaries, but in November when the most voters participate.
Prior to Measure K, if a primary candidate got 50%+1 of the vote, they won outright. There would be no general election, meaning most San Diego voters did not get a say in local representation.
"The goal of all the consultants was to load all the money and all the stuff so that you'd get candidates elected in June," Peace said.
"There would never really be a discussion about who the next representative would be because they'd get elected in the primary."
It is a reality many voters know across the US, but not always so directly. In most elections in the US—at all levels—the district or seat is so safe for one party or the other that the primary is the election that matters most.
The winner of the primary is the de facto winner, and the general election is treated mostly as a formality under partisan primary systems.
This episode was recorded prior to the June 2 primary in California, which uses a different type of primary election. It uses a nonpartisan Top Two primary authored by IVP and approved by voters under Prop 14 in 2010.
Critics like to call it a "jungle primary"—a term Peace says is an intentional pejorative.
Prior to June 2, party operatives said the chaos of the system would result in a two-Republican governor's race. This doomsday prophecy in a state that heavily favors Democratic candidates didn't happen.
But even if it did, Peace asks: What is the solution? Go back to a closed system that locks out nearly 7 million independent voters?
States that have closed primary elections, like New Jersey, reveal the consequences of these elections. Millions are shut out of contests they fund while winners in mostly safe seats are elected with less than 4% of the total electorate.
Most Californians don't want that type of system. Peace says instead California should look to Alaska as a model to expand on nonpartisan reform. Alaska's primary works nearly the same, except it advances four candidates, not two.
Then, it uses ranked choice ballots to ensure the winner in the general isn't crowned with less than 50% of the vote.
In California, this would ensure that all voters get a say, can choose any candidate they want, and get more choice in June and November. No one is locked out and everyone has a voice when it matters most.
Peace talks about this and more with Dr. Schein. Check out the full episode above.
