Proposition 14 Fact vs. Fiction: Thoughts from Political Scientists Seth Masket and Boris Shor
On Tuesday, June 8, California voters will decide the fate of Proposition 14, the controversial ballot measure also known as the Top Two Primaries Act. Two leading political scientists, Boris Shor and Seth Masket, have studied the polarization problem extensively. Their findings show that Proposition 14 will not solve California’s partisanship problem. Political scientist Boris [...]
Ralph Nader Warns Californians: Vote NO on Proposition 14 — Stop the “Top Two” Tyranny
Ralph Nader Warns Californians: Vote NO on Proposition 14 — Stop the “Top Two” Tyranny Ralph Nader, who has run for president both as an independent and as a third-party candidate, today warned against the ballot proposition promoted by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. “Californians need to defeat Proposition 14 or they will risk further entrenching the [...]
Progressive Party Movement Opposes Proposition 14 in California Vote
Progressive Party Movement Opposes Proposition 14 in California Vote American Progressives United and the Progressive Parties in Minnesota and Washington State urge California voters to vote no on Proposition 14 on June 8. Proposition 14, the top-two election system, is being pushed in California as a way to let anyone run in the primary election. [...]
Washington State’s Third Party Leaders Issue Anti-Proposition 14 Statement
Leaders from Washington State’s Third Party Coalition released a statement today urging California voters to vote no on Proposition 14. The coalition is comprised of the American Heritage Party, Constitution Party, Green Party, Libertarian Party, and Progressive Party. Here is the full text of the statement: The Top Two Primary System in Action — The [...]
StopTopTwo.Org Announces Two Events for Wednesday: San Francisco Labor Council Press Conference and Marin Libertarian Party’s Pre-Primary Event
WHAT StopTopTwo.Org announces two events for Wednesday: The San Francisco Labor Council will hold a press conference at noon. The anti-Proposition 14 press conference will feature all six qualified political parties. Marin Libertarian Party’s Pre-Primary Event “Liberty, Fiscal Responsibility and Change in American Society” will include a segment on Proposition 14. Christina Tobin’s StopTopTwo.org – [...]
MEDIA ADVISORY: StopTopTwo.Org to Hold Picket outside Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Proposition 14 Fundraiser on Monday
WHAT A picket uniting voters across the political spectrum will be held in Sacramento on Monday afternoon to protest Proposition 14, the Top Two Primaries Act. The picket will be held outside Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s $2,500 per ticket, Proposition 14 fundraiser at an upscale Sacramento restaurant: http://californiascapitol.com/blog/?p=2647 Gov. Schwarzenegger and Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado are [...]
MEDIA ADVISORY: StopTopTwo.Org to Hold Picket outside Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Proposition 14 Fundraiser
WHAT A picket uniting voters across the political spectrum will be held in Sacramento on Monday afternoon to protest Proposition 14, the Top Two Primaries Act. The picket will be held outside Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s $2,500 per ticket, Proposition 14 fundraiser at an upscale Sacramento restaurant: http://californiascapitol.com/blog/?p=2647 Gov. Schwarzenegger and Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado are [...]
Moderates Cause Dysfunction and Gridlock Too; Proposition 14 Proves That!
MILL VALLEY, Calif (May 20, 2010) – StopTopTwo.org’s Christina Tobin today released a statement in response to Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado’s recent remarks on KABC-TV promoting Proposition 14. “I agree with Abel that we need politicians in Sacramento willing to work together to find solutions for the problems this state faces. But Abel is wrong [...]
Voters from All Six Qualified Political Parties to Hold Press Conference and Anti-Proposition 14 Protest on Tuesday
WHAT A press conference uniting leaders and voters across the political spectrum will be held in Los Angeles. Speakers will discuss their opposition to Proposition 14, the Top Two Primaries Act. Gov. Schwarzenegger and Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado are marketing Proposition 14, the Top Two Primaries Act, as a win for democracy. Proposition 14 would [...]
Stop Top Two Press Conference
Opponents of California’s Proposition 14, also known as the Top Two Primary, held a press conference declaring their opposition. Free & Equal hosted the event. Representatives from the Green, Libertarian, American Independent, Peace & Freedom, Democratic and Republican parties were present. Proposition 14 would effectively deny third parties and independents the right to appear on [...]
Voters from All Six Qualified Political Parties Organize Anti-Proposition 14 Protests outside Upscale Sacramento Restaurant and Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Home
MEDIA ADVISORY Voters from All Six Qualified Political Parties Organize Anti-Proposition 14 Protests outside Upscale Sacramento Restaurant and Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Home WHAT Protests uniting voters across the political spectrum will be held outside two scheduled Proposition 14 fundraisers in Los Angeles and Sacramento sponsored by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. California voters from all six qualified parties, [...]
Top Two Debate: Winger vs. Maldonado
On the morning of May 10, KQED (the National Public Radio Station in San Francisco) held an hour-long discussion of California’s Proposition 14. The host was Michael Krasny. The first 12 minutes consist of an interview with political scientist Eric McGhee. The remaining 48 minutes is the debate between California’s Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado, who [...]
MEDIA ADVISORY: StopTopTwo.org Holds All-Partisan Press Conference with AIP, Democratic, Green, Libertarian, Peace & Freedom, and Republican Leaders
MEDIA ADVISORY StopTopTwo.org Holds All-Partisan Press Conference with AIP, Democratic, Green, Libertarian, Peace & Freedom, and Republican Leaders WHAT A press conference uniting leaders across the political spectrum will be held in Sacramento on Tuesday. The speakers will discuss their opposition to Proposition 14, the Top Two Primaries Act. California leaders from the American Independent, [...]
Schwarzenegger and Maldonado Attempt to Engineer Election Outcomes
Big Media Continues to Endorse Proposition 14 Using Erroneous Data Three major California newspapers have published recent editorials that endorse Proposition 14, the “Top Two Primaries Act,” on the June 8th statewide ballot. All three endorsements include false statements to make their arguments. These errors could have been avoided if the newspapers had investigated more [...]
Christina Tobin on Fox News & Sheehan’s Soapbox
Christina Tobin continued her mission of bringing people together for true electoral reform this week, appearing on Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox on Sunday, May 2nd and Fox News with Judge Napolitano on Tuesday, May 4th. You can download the interview on Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox here. The Fox News video is below. You need to install or [...]
Vote Buying, Backroom Deals, Lies and “Helping People”
If you missed Abel Maldonado’s appearance on The Colbert Report last week, you missed seeing California’s new lieutenant governor’s posturing in promoting Proposition 14. We lost count of how many times he said he wanted to “help people,” but we’re pretty sure the audience didn’t buy it. He also never answered Stephen Colbert’s question of [...]
Leading Voices for Independent Politics Unite for Landmark Event at University of Wisconsin at Madison
University Official Threatens Event Cancellation, Inciting Free Speech Showdown CHICAGO, Ill., April 25, 2010 – A distinguished group of panelists from across the American political spectrum will gather to discuss electoral reform, the peace movement, and the growing dissatisfaction with both Republicans and Democrats. Panelists include Theresa Amato, Angela Keaton, Ben Manski, Sean Scallon, Cindy [...]
Leading Voices for Independent Politics Unite on April 26 for Landmark Event at University of Wisconsin at Madison
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Sean Haugh Executive Director, Free and Equal Elections Foundation (919) 402-3489 sean@freeandequal.org CHICAGO, Ill., April 20, 2010 – Next week, a distinguished group of panelists from across the American political spectrum will gather to discuss electoral reform, the peace movement, and the growing dissatisfaction with both Republicans and Democrats. Panelists include [...]
Taking a Closer Look at California’s Prop 14 Financial Support: Over $2.2 Million Contributions Made in Support of Top Two
As Free and Equal continues its work to defeat California’s Proposition 14, the controversial June ballot measure also known as the “Top Two Primaries Act,” we regularly monitor news, advertisements, endorsements, and contributions made from both the opposing and supporting sides. The California Secretary of State website contains a Campaign Finance area that posts contributions [...]
Cumulative Voting in New York, OBAR Press Conference, Top-Two Bill in Louisiana, More Money for Prop 14
Port Chester, NY Adopts Cumulative Voting and Other Landmark Reforms Port Chester, NY has adopted several new changes to provide more power to their voters. The village will take advantage of this historic reform on June 15 when voters choose the village’s board of trustees. For the first time, Port Chester voters will be empowered [...]
Good News and Bad News: Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce Votes to Oppose Proposition 14, While San Jose Mercury News Endorses Proposition 14
First, the good news! The Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce has voted to oppose Proposition 14, the controversial “Top Two Primaries Act” measure that will be on the June 8 ballot. As you may recall from previous Free & Equal communication, the Santa Clara Chamber of Commerce heard presentations from representatives from both sides of [...]
Only Free & Equal can stop corporate special interests from buying California’s elections
We’ve got our work cut out for us if we are going to Stop Top Two in California. A recent poll conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) states that 56% of likely voters are in favor of Proposition 14, the Top Two Primaries Act. Meanwhile, only 27% claimed to be opposed, while [...]
California’s Top Two is Far Worse that Washington’s Top Two
We’ve found that many people see California’s Proposition 14, the “Top Two Primaries Act,” as a rather simple concept. Unfortunately, the devil is in the details. For example, even for people who like the Washington State Top Two system, there are plenty of reasons to oppose Proposition 14 on the June 8, 2010 ballot. Unlike [...]
Reading between the lines: Big Business in love with Proposition 14
If you knew Blue Shield of California, Hewlett Packard, Shea Homes, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, and Pacific Life Insurance Company all made donations ranging between $5,000 and $100,000 to support a measure, would you believe it was for giving voters more choices on the ballot? Your gut reaction would probably be the same as [...]
