Daniel Wolf of Democracy Counts argues California's gubernatorial primary is failing its own stress test, with the likely nominee advancing on roughly a quarter of the vote. He proposes a top-five primary followed by ranked choice voting in November so the winner carries a genuine majority mandate, pointing to Alaska, where voters adopted the system in 2018 and declined to repeal it in 2024. He cautions that election reform alone is not enough without rebuilding the civic gro

CalMatters examines whether California's top-two primary delivered on its 2010 promise and finds that statewide races rarely produce the same-party matchups its architects expected. Cal RCV's Tom Charron tells the outlet that the state could improve upon top-two with an Alaska-style top-five primary paired with ranked choice voting, which could go before voters as a constitutional amendment in 2028. Reformers argue that approach would widen the field and shut down the strateg

Summary The June 2 primary sent Democrat Xavier Becerra (28%) and Republican Steve Hilton (25%) to November. Nearly half of primary voters chose someone else. The feared two-Republican November didn't happen. The field narrowed through a scandal and late shifts in support, not a system built to reflect voters. In March, the party asked low-polling candidates to drop out. Becerra was polling at 3% then. He's now the Democratic nominee. The fix: a Top 5 primary with ranked choi

Update, October 2026: This post was written in March, before the June 2 primary. Democrat Xavier Becerra (28.0%) and Republican Steve Hilton (24.6%) advanced to November. Summary In March, polls showed California's Top-2 primary could produce a November ballot with two Republicans for Governor, despite a 45% to 25% Democratic registration advantage Vote-splitting among well-known Democrats kept every one of them at or below 14%, while two Republicans led with 16% and 15% The

Maine and Alaska are the first two US states to use Ranked Choice Voting. With RCV on the ballot in several more states this November, it’s a good chance to compare how the system works in each state and how it has affected election outcomes thus far. RCV first came to Maine when the City of Portland adopted the method in 2011. The election of controversial Governor Paul LePage with less than a majority vote twice (with only 38% in 2010) led to the push for RCV statewide. Mai

On Wednesday, February 9th 2022, our panelists joined moderator Tom Charron of the California RCV Coalition to discuss the state of voting in California and our nation as a whole. Ranked Choice Voting provides a unique opportunity to increase voter choice at the ballot box and discourage the divisive political practices that have become standard in American politics. Our three panelists have unique insight into the problems with our current elections system and a passion for