Next week the all-important California primary takes place. Most of the media attention, however, has not been on issues or candidates, but instead on the possible repercussions of the still relatively new top-two primary system. The worry among Democrats is that multiple Democratic candidates in some congressional districts will split the vote, allowing two Republicans to proceed to the November ballot. My colleague David Wasserman warns that Democrats are “at some risk of getting ‘locked out’ by the top-two primary in several key districts, particularly the 39th, 48th and 49th CDs.”
But, while the focus is tightly aimed at June 5th, pull the lens out a bit, and you see that the top-two system is just another example of how electoral reforms have unintended consequences. In an ironic twist, voters are more skeptical of the parties than ever, yet behaving in ways that are more partisan than ever. CONT.
Amy Walter, Cook Political Report