Presentation: Statewide legislation sought by Green Party, Libertarian Party and the Peace & Freedom Party to compensate for negative affects of Prop 14 on the state's smaller, ballot-qualified parties

Presentation: Statewide legislation sought by Green Party, Libertarian Party and the Peace & Freedom Party to compensate for negative affects of Prop 14 on the state's smaller, ballot-qualified parties

Sponsor: Coordinating Committee

Background: When Proposition 14 passed in June 2010, it de facto eliminated one of the two ways ballot-qualified political parties can remain on the ballot - a general election vote test of getting at least 2% in a statewide race like Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, Controller, Insurance Commissioner and U.S. Senate.

Since early in 2013, the Green Party, Liberatarian Party and the Peace and Freedom Party have been working together to come to agreement upon a common set of legislative reforms that they would support to compensate for this and other negative affects of Proposition 14 (and its implementing legislation) upon the ways in which the state's smaller, ballot-qualified parties could remain on the ballot.  The GPCA's representatives to this process (appointed by the Coordinating Committee) have been Mike Feinstein (Santa Monica), Alex Shantz (Napa) and Rich Zitola (Santa Cruz).

In May, the three parties agreed upon the following joint analysis of the problems for ballot status created by Proposition 14 and its implementing legislation and sent this to all 120 members of the State Legislature: "Top Two Elections and their Affects on the Smaller Parties - A joint statement from the Green Party, Libertarian Party and Peace and Freedom Party." 

On Sunday, June 23, representatives from all three parties met in Napa (following the GPCA's General Assembly there) and agreed upon a package of two reforms - one to modify the existing voter registration threshold test and the other introducing a general election vote test for President. Since then, representatives from all three parties have been lobbying for these reforms with the state legislature. On July 9th, Feinstein submitted this response to the concerns heard about the two reforms during the negotiation process: "Its Good Government: How & why California's elections code should be amended to compensate for the negative affects of Proposition 14 on the state's smaller, ballot-qualified parties – negative affects voters were never asked if they wanted."

In early November, a counter-proposal emerged from some staff members working in the legislature. On November 11th, representatives from all three parties considered these measures and had general agreement upon accepting a modest modification of the voter registration threshold test that retains its intent. But the representatives of the three parties did not have agreement upon the other change, which would have eliminated the general election vote test for president, and replaced it with a primary election vote test.  

The purpose of this agenda item is to

- brief the General Assembly in more detail on the progress of these negotiations, as well as the concerns about the primary election vote test approach,

- receive feedback on the tradeoffs being considered by the Coordinating Committee in these negotiations, and

- discuss how the party will undertake a broader lobbying statewide once a final negotiating position is reached by the three parties