Bring Political Choice Back to California with ACA 16

SACRAMENTO, CA, US – The Libertarian Party of California’s (LPCA) Executive Committee overwhelmingly passed a motion this past Saturday to support Assemblyman Kevin Kiley’s assembly constitutional amendment, ACA 16, which would overturn the top two primaries in California. The bill was introduced on June 20th to meet the deadline for it to be included on the November 2022 ballot which would bring the decision to California voters to return to partisan primaries in the state.

Top two voting has been opposed by the LPCA since its inception in 2010 when Proposition 14 passed by a 7.46% margin in an election with less than 44% voter turnout. “Since Proposition 14 passed California has become a one party state, with the Democrats having a supermajority in both houses of the legislature. The state has become barren of political diversity to the detriment of Californians with an absence of checks and balances,” said Mimi Robson, LPCA Chairperson and two-time candidate for partisan office. “In addition,
many voters feel disenfranchised when November ballots only give them the option to vote for one of only two candidates, often from the same party.”

Voting systems should be designed to represent as well as possible the actual preferences of the electorate and to provide confidence that votes are being accurately counted. Current systems are failing us in both respects. Many alternative systems exist which could allow voters to better express their preferences, avoiding issues like “wasted votes”, and even potentially lower the cost of holding elections. The current Top Two primary system is inferior to any of these and disenfranchises voters who support alternative parties, so the LPCA calls for its repeal.

The LPCA is sending out a call to action for every Libertarian and Californian to contact their local representatives and voice their support for ACA 16. Californians can find their representatives at Find your Representative.