I'm surprised that you are against 64, since it is pro-business.
As for 62,
"The elimination of partisan elections proposition #62 opens the door for Democrats to monopolize elections all over the state. It's no secret that the majority of voters in California are liberal Democrats living mostly in Orange and San Francisco counties. This proposition would allow these voters to take over the general primary with two candidates."
Not all over the state. Many offices, such as legislative and congressional seats, are not statewide, and the ones that are currently in the hands of Republicans are probably that way because of the type of voters who live in those districts. It would be more likely for two Republicans to end up on the November ballot than two Democrats in those districts.
For other offices, you are right that the Democratic Party is dominant, and that's not likely to change under the current system. Under the proposed system, if two Democrats appeared on the November ballot, Republicans would have the opportunity to vote for the more moderate of the two, and that candidate would get a significant number of Democratic votes too, so instead of the state being dominated by liberals as at present, the balance of power would be shifted more toward the center. That brings with it a likelihood of getting more of the Republicans' agenda enacted than at present. The same would be true of whichever party were in the minority.
Prop. 62 could also end up benefiting Republicans as a party. There are moderate Republicans currently running in primaries (a friend of mine recently managed a campaign for one of them), and Prop. 62 would allow people registered as Democrats to vote for them. The more moderate Republicans that show up on the November ballot, the better the party's chances in California.
BTW, here's another site with info on the California propositions:
igs.berkeley.edu
FYI, data from the Secretary of State's Website show that as of the last presidential primary, 43% of California voters were registered as Democrats and 36% as Republicans. Note that neither party has a majority.
ss.ca.gov
Also, contrary to your statement, Orange County is registered 49% Republican and 31% Democratic.
ss.ca.gov |
