blog post Three Lessons About California’s Election Reforms By Eric McGhee, Daniel Krimm Nov 5, 2014 California got its second taste of two important reforms yesterday: legislative and congressional districts drawn by an independent redistricting commission and a "top-two” primary system. How did they do this time around?
blog post Six Takeaways from the June Primary By Mark Baldassare Jul 14, 2014 For those of us involved in polling and election analysis at PPIC, the just-released California Secretary of State’s (SOS) Statement of the Vote offers a treasure trove of data about how our democracy is working.
blog post Is the Top-Two Primary to Blame for Low Turnout? By Eric McGhee Jun 9, 2014 Should we blame California’s new "top-two” primary for the abysmal voter turnout in the June election?
blog post Quirks of the Top-Two Primary By Eric McGhee Jun 5, 2014 It’s worth thinking about whether a same-party contest is really the match-up voters there would like to see.
blog post The Power of the Primary Voter By Eric McGhee May 8, 2014 Voters are starting to think seriously about whether or not to vote on June 3—in fact, many voters have received their vote-by-mail ballots already. And because of a recent change to California’s primary system, this decision about voting will be more important than ever.
Fact Sheet California’s New Electoral Reforms: The Fall Election By Eric McGhee, Daniel Krimm Nov 8, 2012
Report Test-driving California’s Election Reforms By Eric McGhee, Daniel Krimm Sep 13, 2012 In the June 2012 primary, California tested two important electoral changes: new legislative and congressional districts drawn by an independent citizens commission and a "top two" primary system. The results suggest the reforms produced some changes—in particular, more open seats and more competition. However, there was also a great deal of continuity with recent elections: most candidates endorsed by a major party and all incumbents are advancing to the fall election and partisan outcomes were broadly in line with what might have been expected under the old primary system. Over time, the reforms may produce more radical change, but the first step on the road of reform has been a small one.
press release California Electoral Reforms Shake Up Status Quo—But Have Yet to Change It Sep 12, 2012
