[GPSCC-chat] Please Help with Letters against Prop 14

[Jim Stauffer]

Prop 14 Open/Top-Two Primary


It is absolutely critical that we get letters to the editor published NOW. The 
yes-on-14 crowd has lots of money and connections; their ads are all over TV 
and radio. Letters are an important counter-effort against this.

Can I interest two volunteers in a mini letter campaign to the Mercury News? 
Below are two letters. The plan is for one person to send the first letter. 
Then, within 24 hours of it being published (if), the second person sends the 
other letter.

It’s also important that no one besides the two volunteers sends these letters.

However, please send others letters to your community papers and to the Metro. 
There’s a couple sample letters at http://cagreens.org/erwg/Prop14/ and other 
resources at http://www.stoptoptwo.org/.

Volunteers – Please respond to this list ASAP.

Thanks

Jim S




============================================
 From what I've learned about Prop 14, it's based on a weak theory, which was 
disproved by a couple states that tried it. Let's stop nibbling around the 
edges and make the reforms our ailing elections system needs.

Britain's response to its troubled 3-way Prime Minister race is to study the 
use of a proportional representation system (PR). Under this system, 
parliamentary seats are allocated in proportion to each party's percentage of 
the total vote.

We could solve the Prop 14 problem with a similar electoral reform solution. 
We don't have to convert to a parliamentary system, but we can use ranked 
choice voting, upon which PR is based. This would allow the creation of three 
parties: Left - Center - Right. Then voters could more precisely choose a 
candidate to support. And candidates wouldn’t have to pander to constituents 
they with whom they don’t agree.

[146 words]




I agree with [name] letter on [date] about Prop 14 not being a solution, and 
the need for election reforms. I’ve heard complaints about our election system 
for years. Isn’t it time for a change?

I recently learned that San Jose is considering an Instant Runoff Voting 
system, which uses a ballot where voters get to rank all candidates instead of 
just voting for one. This seems like a fair system and it solves a lot of 
problems that people complain about.

I’d rather try that than Prop 14’s idea about doing away with parties in the 
primary.

[98 words]