It's no secret that we're living in a moment of extraordinary political polarization and government dysfunction. Growing rancor, distrust and partisan disagreement among elected officials have led to an unwillingness to compromise or forge solutions to pressing policy challenges.
California, to its credit, recognized this way back in the early 2000s — yes, well before the presidency of Donald Trump — and took steps to combat it. One of those steps was the passage of Proposition 14, a 2010 ballot measure prompted more by gridlock in Sacramento than Washington, that rewrote how political primaries are held in congressional, statewide and state legislative races.
The "top-two primary" system created by Proposition 14 has now been in effect for a decade. It's been tested in five elections — and we're about to test it in a sixth when the next primary arrives on June 7.
