Increasing voter choice and reducing money politics has not resulted from California’s top two voting system say some. Here are some updates from Ballot Access News:

This news story from public television in California says the top-two system has not worked as its supporters hoped. The story also focuses on the large number of congressional and legislative races with only two Democrats on the ballot, and on the fact that such races increase campaign spending.

Democrats are increasingly frustrated as well as third parties and independent candidates:

Five prominent Democrats are believed to be getting ready to run for Governor of California in 2018. See this story. They are Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, Treasurer John Chiang, former Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin (who is now a state legislator), billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, and Antonio Villaraigosa, former Mayor of Los Angeles.

The story also mentions that two Republican mayors of big cities may run for Governor. They are the mayors of San Diego (Kevin Faulconer) and Fresno (Ashley Swearengin). If all seven entered the race, it is not implausible that the two Republicans would place first and second, because the Democratic vote would be split up five ways.

Find more on voting methods like California’s Top Two voting system at our Voting Methods Central or see our main page on the wider issues of American Democracy.  Here is some more on top-two voting systems from the Independent Voter Project:

The Top-Two primary fundamentally changes the traditional approach to elections. Under a traditional primary system, whether the primary is “open,” “closed,” “semi-closed,” or any other iteration, the PURPOSE of the primary election is for political parties to choose which candidate best represents THEM.

Then, after the primary, voters participate in the general election and choose from the field of candidates predetermined by the political parties. Under a nonpartisan Top-Two system, instead of having separate primaries for each political party, there is one single primary. All candidates, voters, and political parties participate on the same ballot, and the rules are the same for everyone. Unlike a traditional system, the PURPOSE of the primary is to narrow the candidate field to the “top-two” candidates who best represent ALL OF US, regardless of the candidate or voter’s party affiliations.