There
are three things Oregonians need to know about Measure 90, the Top Two election
proposal on the November ballot. First,
Top Two will severely restrict voters’ rights to vote in all November
elections. Second, Top Two is
undemocratic. Third, there is absolutely
no evidence that Top Two will improve our elections.
The
right to vote is the most precious right in our country; it is the right on
which all other rights depend. Freedom of
choice in the election process is what differentiates a democracy from, say, a
dictatorship. Although the big business
backers of Top Two focus on the effects their proposal will have on primary
elections, the November election is where it will truly wreak havoc with the
democratic process.
In
the November election, under Top Two, there will be only two candidates on the
ballot in each race—and both candidates could be from the same party. This has been the experience in Washington and
California using Top Two: elections
where the “choice” is between two Republicans or two Democrats.
Limiting
choices to just two in our most critical election is offensive to democratic
ideals. Most civilized nations offer
their citizens a veritable menu of choices on Election Day. Yet Top Two limits us to only two choices;
one “choice” away from those afforded to you in China or Cuba.
Elections
are about ideas and not simply about winning or losing. With Top Two, the debate that would ensue
after the May primary would be extremely narrow. What if we could only get our news from ABC
or CBS? What if there were no newspapers
or internet, no CNN or NPR or Fox or MSNBC? Would we accept those
“choices”? What if your “choice” for
news was between ABC and ABC? These are
the kinds of “choices” which Top Two will produce.
In
some districts, Republicans will be shut out of the November election; in
others, it will be Democrats who are left out.
In every statewide race, there will be no independent or third party
candidates on the ballot. This will
limit the debate not only for today but far into the future. Traditionally, the role of third parties is to
introduce ideas to the electorate long before they are commonly accepted. Once seemingly “radical” ideas—from marriage
equality and the abolition of slavery to ending cannabis prohibition and
recognizing the right of women to vote—were all first championed by third
parties.
The
slight-of-hand proponents of Measure 90 claim that it will increase voter
turnout and produce legislatures which are moderate. There is absolutely no evidence to back
either claim. In fact, using Top Two,
California just suffered the lowest voter turnout primary in its history. And, according to a recently released study,
California has the most polarized legislature in the United States. When it comes to increasing voter turnout and
producing “moderates,” the California experience demonstrates that Top Two is a
complete failure.
Changing
our elections is a great idea. Our
country is becoming increasingly diverse—as is Oregon to a much more modest
extent. Fewer people are also participating
with the two major political parties. We
do need new election systems that will reflect this diversity of opinion and
population. There are many successful
models used across the country and around the world which accomplish these
noble goals. Unfortunately, Top Two
doesn’t aim for diversity or more choices.
It restricts choice and limits debate and participation. Oregonians were right to resoundingly reject
this ill-advised proposal by a 2-1 margin in 2008 and would be wise to do so
again.
This essay appeared in The Oregonian and on-line at www.oregonlive.com.
