The California Secretary of State has posted the official results of the July 12 special election for U.S. House, 36th district. They show: Democrat Janice Hahn 47,000; Republican Craig Huey 38,624. No other choices were allowed on the ballot, and all write-in votes were discarded, in accordance with “top-two” rules. The Secretary of State’s web page shows this election attracted a 25.00% turnout.
The only other top-two election in California so far that had a second round was the special election for Assembly, district four, earlier this year. That election’s second round had a turnout of 25.68%, according to the Secretary of State’s web page.
By contrast, the last special election second round held before top-two went into effect, the special election for State Senate district one (in January 2011) had a turnout of 25.98%. Voters in that special election were free to vote for either a Democrat, or a Republican, or a declared write-in candidate. The previous special election before that, for State Senate, district 15 race August, 2010, had a turnout of 39.43%. That race had four candidates on the ballot, a Democrat, a Republican, a Libertarian, and an independent.
Proponents of the top-two system insisted during the Proposition 14 campaign that if top-two were implemented, turnout would increase. They paid no attention to the data from Louisiana and Washington, the other two states that have used top-two. Turnout in those two states did not increase after top-two began either. Elections with only two choices are intrinsically less interesting than elections with multiple choices.
NO PRIMARIES ARE NEEDED.
P.R. —
Total Votes / Total Seats = EQUAL votes needed for each seat winner.
Both majority rule and minority representation.
A much higher turnout when ALL votes count ??? Duh.
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Candidate/incumbent rank order lists for vacancies —
NO more special elections — especially in the middle of summer with lots of folks on vacation.
The most recent special congressional elections in Los Angeles County have done worse.
The CD 32 election in 2009 (the Chu Chu election) had 24.79% AND it was coincident with the May 19, 2009 statewide special election. At that election, Los Angeles had 25.2% of California registered voters, but only 17.8% of actual voters, and its turnout rate was 36% worse than the rest of the state (31.2% vs 20.0%).
The only recent special election where LA did better than the recent election was for AD 55 – but that was coincident with the 2008 presidential primary. Even the AD 43 special general, coincident with the June 2010 primary only managed 20.1% turnout.
Summary: Los Angeles County has very low turnout. The CD 32 Top 2 turnout was the Top 1 for recent congressional special elections.
Jim Riley
Thank you for the info in post two. Since there was an additional election at the same time. I wish to know how
the turn out percent changed between that part of the district that was only conducting the 36th CD vs. the part of the district that had a multiple election.
Next, after I informed the LA County Registar of Voters that an AIP candidate was not qualified to run and was remove for cause from the 36th CD race, the American Independent Party gave an endorsement to Craig Huey. The
endorsement was on the sample ballot in the primary election. AIP and P&F were the only qualified parties
that gave an endorsement in the primary on the sample ballot. Therefore what was the raw count of AIP and P&F votes that voted in both the primary and general election?
I am try to see how effect an endorsement of a candidate
on a sample ballot effects turn out.
Sincerely, Mark Seidenberg, Vice Chairman, American Indepaendent Party
Basically you turned the AIP into the New York Independence Party.
Cody Quirk
Thank you for calling the typo error to my attention,
It should of stated “American Independent Party”. I
an lost why you bring up New York.
Sincerely, Mark Seidenberg, Vice Chairman, American Independent Party