California Libertarians Spend Day in Sacramento, Lobbying Against Bill that Would Create More One-Candidate Elections

On January 30, a group of California Libertarian Party activists spent the day in the State Capitol in Sacramento, urging the defeat of AB 141. The group, organized by Beau Cain, was able to meet with legislative staffers for six California Assemblymembers.

AB 141 would decrease voter choice in November for Congress and state legislative races. Current law requires that the top-two vote-getters be placed on the November ballot. AB 141 would shrink that down to just one candidate, in the races in which only one candidate files in the primary but one or multiple write-in candidates file in June for the same office. AB 141 would prevent any of the write-in candidates from being placed on the November ballot, even if they did come in second, unless they got approximately 3,000 to 4,000 write-ins (if running for U.S. House or State Senate), or approximately 1,500 to 2,000 (if running for Assembly).


Comments

California Libertarians Spend Day in Sacramento, Lobbying Against Bill that Would Create More One-Candidate Elections — No Comments

  1. Any New Age General Grant to liberate CA from its gerrymander TYRANTS ???
    —-
    P.R. and nonpartisan App.V.

    NO primaries of any type.

  2. In 2012, this law would have impacted six races (only one congressional race and five state legislative races). The median vote total for the write-in candidates in the general election was 16.9%. The most votes one of these write-in candidates received in the general election was 37.4%.

    Obviously write-in candidates are not much of a threat to their opponents. But they do give the voters someone to vote for in opposition to the pre-ordained winner. So what exactly is the motivation behind AB 141? Just to deny people that voice?

  3. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/.const/.article_2

    SEC. 2.5. A voter who casts a vote in an election in accordance
    with the laws of this State shall have that vote counted.

    SEC. 5. (a) A voter-nomination primary election shall be conducted
    to select the candidates for congressional and state elective offices
    in California. All voters may vote at a voter-nominated primary
    election for any candidate for congressional and state elective
    office without regard to the political party preference disclosed by
    the candidate or the voter, provided that the voter is otherwise
    qualified to vote for candidates for the office in question. The
    candidates who are the top two vote-getters at a voter-nominated
    primary election for a congressional or state elective office shall,
    regardless of party preference, compete in the ensuing general
    election.

    ——
    Gee – does the FATAL loophole in Sec. 2.5 SUBVERT Sec. 5 ??? Duh.

    Where is THE court case to END the EVIL rule of the EVIL gerrymander minority rule MONSTERS in CA ???

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