[EL] It wasn't just Top Two Friday in the Washington Post

Sat Oct 19 09:04:30 PDT 2013

Folks,

This indeed was a weird set of articles on "Top Two" in the New York Times
and Washington Post (and lesser degree the LA Times) -- all failing to
address the implications of smaller, less representative,and more partisan
electorates that narrow the field to two in preliminaries ("primaries").

At the same time, I'm glad Rick linked to our oped that appeared
prominently in the Washington Post yesterday (link below). I look forward
to more folks seriously reviewing what it would mean for the United States
to join the vast majority of established democracies that reject
winner-take-all, single-member districts --  with FairVote's take being
that it should be congressional and state statutes establishing
candidate-based systems like ranked choice voting ("single transferable
vote") that would broaden the big tent parities by being first used in the
primary, then in the general elections. Such a proposal neatly resolves
conflicts over minority voting rights, allows for geographically compact
districts that are competitive and fair, and would elect a large number
representatives who authentically represent the "bridgebuilder" space
between more rigid partisans in the major parties.

We have an interactive flashmap that shows such plans for every state and
detailed analysis of them in contrast to what we have now at
http://www.FairVoting.US.

- Rob Richie

#########
“A ranked-choice voting system for
Congress”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=56076>
**
Posted on **October 17, 2013 8:07 pm** <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=56076>
 by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
**

Rob Richie and Devin
McCarthy<http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-ranked-choice-voting-system-for-congress/2013/10/17/0e40ea2a-35c8-11e3-8a0e-4e2cf80831fc_story.html>
writing
in WaPo: “It’s easy to blame politicians for the federal government
shutdown<http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/government-reopens-thursday-after-congress-passes-budget-deal-raises-debt-limit/2013/10/17/dbe7889a-371b-11e3-80c6-7e6dd8d22d8f_story.html>,
but the dysfunction will continue until Americans understand how our voting
laws reward confrontation<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/10/02/the-shutdown-is-the-constitutions-fault/>
and
realize which steps are necessary for real reform.”

“For post-shutdown reform ideas, many look to
California”<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=56099>
**
Posted on **October 18, 2013 7:40 pm** <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=56099>
 by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
**

The *Los Angeles Times
*reports<http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-shutdown-reform-20131019,0,2567559,full.story>
.

Regardless of who draws the lines, the electorate remains polarized
politically and geographically, with liberal Democrats concentrated in
parts of the state and conservative
Republicans<http://www.latimes.com/topic/politics/parties-movements/republican-party-ORGOV0000004.topic>
in
others. The number of districts actually open to a centrist candidate is
small.

Legislative gridlock did end in California, but not because moderates
flooded into the statehouse. Instead, Democrats picked up a supermajority
of seats, giving them unbridled control of Sacramento.

“A strong debate is raging over whether any of these things make a
difference,” said Rick Hasen, an elections expert at UC
Irvine<http://www.latimes.com/topic/education/colleges-universities/university-of-california-irvine-OREDU00000198.topic>
School
of Law. “Do they lead to centrists more willing to compromise? The early
evidence from California is no.”

Still, supporters of election changes remain optimistic about the state’s
moves and the chances of similar ideas taking root elsewhere.

Seth Masket’s right: It’s Top-Two Friday!
<http://mischiefsoffaction.blogspot.com/2013/10/its-top-two-friday.html>

See also my coverage <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=56093> of the NYT
article.
[image: Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D56099&title=%E2%80%9CFor%20post-shutdown%20reform%20ideas%2C%20many%20look%20to%20California%E2%80%9D&description=>
********** “It’s Top-Two Friday!” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=56095>**
Posted on **October 18, 2013 4:15 pm** <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=56095>
 by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
**

Seth Masket<http://mischiefsoffaction.blogspot.com/2013/10/its-top-two-friday.html>
:

Thanks to Richard
Skinner<https://twitter.com/richardmskinner/status/391309384275357696>
 and Rick Hasen <https://twitter.com/rickhasen/status/391294827645530112> for
pointing out that the reformers are out in force today. The *New York Times*‘
Adam Nagourney<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/19/us/california-upends-its-image-of-legislative-dysfunction.html?hp&_r=1&>
and
the *Washington Post*‘s Reid
Wilson<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2013/10/18/the-solution-to-hyper-partisanship-already-exists-and-it-doesnt-involve-gerrymandering/>
both
have articles up today talking up California’s top two primary system as a
solution to hyper-partisanship in our country. This comes just two days
after Amy Walter <http://cookpolitical.com/story/6309> wrote a similar
piece for the Cook Political Report.

I’ve written a good deal on this topic, so let me try to sum up my answer
to the question of whether the top two primary system will reduce
partisanship:

Probably not.

Why not?…

[image: Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D56095&title=%E2%80%9CIt%E2%80%99s%20Top-Two%20Friday%21%E2%80%9D&description=>
**
Posted in political parties <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=25>, political
polarization <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=68>,
primaries<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=32>
********** NYT Top Story Says CA Dysfunction Getting Better Because of Top
Two Primary and Redistricting Reform <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=56093>**
Posted on **October 18, 2013 1:08 pm** <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=56093>
 by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
**

Article here<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/19/us/california-upends-its-image-of-legislative-dysfunction.html?hp&_r=0>.
I was surprised to see that the article did not quote from more skeptical
political scientists who have looked at the question.

Some of that literature<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2013/10/18/reforming-primary-elections-wont-make-government-better/>
summarized
in this post at The Monkey Cage.
[image: Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D56093&title=NYT%20Top%20Story%20Says%20CA%20Dysfunction%20Getting%20Better%20Because%20of%20Top%20Two%20Primary%20and%20Redistricting%20Reform&description=>
**
Posted in political parties <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=25>, political
polarization <http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=68>,
primaries<http://electionlawblog.org/?cat=32>
********** “The solution to hyper-partisanship already exists, and it
doesn’t involve gerrymandering” <http://electionlawblog.org/?p=56086>**
Posted on **October 18, 2013 11:01 am**<http://electionlawblog.org/?p=56086>
 by Rick Hasen <http://electionlawblog.org/?author=3>
**

Reid Wilson<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2013/10/18/the-solution-to-hyper-partisanship-already-exists-and-it-doesnt-involve-gerrymandering/>
wants
open primaries.

I’m skeptical  <http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2243798>of
this too as a solution to polarization.

[image: Share]<http://www.addtoany.com/share_save#url=http%3A%2F%2Felectionlawblog.org%2F%3Fp%3D56086&title=%E2%80%9CThe%20solution%20to%20hyper-partisanship%20already%20exists%2C%20and%20it%20doesn%E2%80%99t%20involve%20gerrymandering%E2%80%9D&description=>
-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Respect for Every Vote and Every Voice"

Rob Richie
Executive Director, FairVote
6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 610
Takoma Park, MD 20912
rr at fairvote.org  (301) 270-4616

Website: http://www.fairvote.org
Advocacy: http://www.fairvoteaction.org
Campaigns: http://www.promoteourvote.com http://www.representation2020.com
http://www.instantrunoff.com http://www.nationalpopularvote.com

*Donations appreciated*: Consider making a tax-deductible donation at
http://fairvote.org/donate. (For federal employees, our Combined Federal
Campaign number is 10132.) Thank you!
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