General Discussion

TheMastersNemesis

(10,602 posts) Mon Apr 25, 2016, 02:41 PM Apr 2016

Mystery Candidates. S.D. To Vote Re: Open Primaries-No Party ID - Only Top 2 Get On Ballot.

Thom Hartmann just shared on his show the NEW idea for putting up candidates for office in future elections. I assume that means all candidates would not be labeled as to party. It would just be an open ballot.

I am sure that this idea is a nutty GOP idea. And it looks like the new idea is to NOT have any party identification in primaries. They ALL would be open primaries with ONLY the top 2 candidates getting on the ballot. That means you could have two Democrats or two Republicans at the top of the ballot.

So like many city elections they are non partisan. So what could go wrong with this idea. Essentially in theory there would be no party affiliations the way this idea seems to work. So how would a voter know who to vote for.

It would be so easy to manipulate the system. If you had two Republicans on the ballot Democrats would have no choice. Of course it could work the other way as well. But knowing the GOP we can only imagine what would be the case.

5 replies

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Mystery Candidates. S.D. To Vote Re: Open Primaries-No Party ID - Only Top 2 Get On Ballot. (Original Post) TheMastersNemesis Apr 2016 OP

Why bother with a primary if party affiliation will not be considered? LiberalFighter Apr 2016 #1

I Think It Is A GOP Or Conservative Idea To Lock The GOP In Permanently. TheMastersNemesis Apr 2016 #2

California has been doing that for a while now. KamaAina Apr 2016 #3

next, we'll be given a list of names for which to vote with no parties or political offices listed Kip Humphrey Apr 2016 #4

When a party wants to be anonymous on the ballot Hortensis Apr 2016 #5

LiberalFighter

(50,981 posts)

1. Why bother with a primary if party affiliation will not be considered?

Reply to TheMastersNemesis (Original post)

Mon Apr 25, 2016, 02:56 PM

Apr 2016

Just go straight to a general election.

I don't support either method.

TheMastersNemesis

(10,602 posts)

2. I Think It Is A GOP Or Conservative Idea To Lock The GOP In Permanently.

Reply to LiberalFighter (Reply #1)

Mon Apr 25, 2016, 03:11 PM

Apr 2016

Right now in Colorado we have over 5 GOPPERS running for a U.S. Senate seat. I think we had 10 at one time. Remember we have how many presidential candidates for the GOP primary. The GOP has a habit of running many many candidates for elections. So imagine that they put of 10 or 15 candidates with 1 or 2 they really want. In such a case money would really be a factor because you could simply have PACs dumping huge amounts of money for favored candidates. The could run a number of shill candidate. They could also run GOP candidates who are "chameleon" candidates. They could be a religious nutcase who says they are pro PP, but are as anti PP as anything.

It is easy to see how the GOP could really manipulate things under such a system. A voter would have NO idea where a candidate stands if there was NO party ID.

I swear the GOP would have an armed insurrection if they could have one and succeed.

KamaAina

(78,249 posts)

3. California has been doing that for a while now.

Reply to TheMastersNemesis (Original post)

Mon Apr 25, 2016, 03:21 PM

Apr 2016

A repuke assemblymember exacted that as his pound of flesh for a vote we needed to pass the budget. This leads to situations like the one in CA17 where incumbent Mike Honda keeps getting challenged by $iliValley darling Ro Khanna. Khanna would have no chance against Honda in a Dem primary -- but in the general election he stands to soak up all the repuke votes.