Responding to people attempting to reverse Proposition 14 through litigation, Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado released a statement on July 30 that said: “Voters have spoken loud and clear, and the people looking to nullify the initiative are choosing to continue the dysfunction, the unacceptable late budgets, and the continuous infighting. It is unbelievable that party bosses not only want to undo Prop. 14, they also want to undo voter-approved redistricting to tighten their chokehold on Sacramento.” In June, California voters passed Proposition 14 to create an open primary system that would automatically advance the two primary candidates with the greatest number of votes to the general election. Maldonado said in the statement the new system will increase “the opportunity for third parties to actually make it into office.” Critics of the measure, however, say it will do the exact opposite. Nonetheless, Maldonado continued in the statement, “This lawsuit is yet another attempted power-grab by party bosses trying to continue the manipulation of legislators and deny the people of California their choice to vote for whomever they want. I fully expect the courts to uphold the voters’ right to select the best person to represent their best interests in the Capitol.”
This article appears in Aug 12-19, 2010.
