SACRAMENTO, CA, USA, February 21, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- With a total of fifteen candidates running in March 5th’s primary election between them, the Green, Libertarian, and Peace & Freedom parties of California have co-released a statement in support of major democracy reform. The new release demonstrates the three party’s commitment to cooperating with one another and their plans for longer-term collaboration.

The campaigns of the alternative party candidates are both surprising and impressive. Since adopting the top-two primary in 2012, it’s become nearly impossible for California’s alternative parties to make it to the general ballot. The system, wherein all candidates are listed on the same primary ballot and only the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliations, requires alternative parties to outperform Democrats and Republicans- an incredibly difficult feat considering our political culture often characterizes alternative parties as “spoilers.” Additionally, making it to the general election is crucial for alternative parties, as doing so provides exposure necessary to remain politically relevant in an ever-changing State. The mere fact that the parties have continued to run candidates is a testament to their perseverance and Californians’ desire for alternative representation.

In addition to the fifteen campaigns, another impressive development is that, despite the systemic disadvantage of the top-two primary, alternative party voter registration has ballooned since 2012. At the time, the three parties had a total of 285,757 registered voters between them. As of October 2023, that figure has increased to 475,225. The appetite for alternative parties extends far past registered voters, though. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, 71% of Californians say a third major party is needed.

Meeting this growing demand with supply is the alternative parties, both in practice and long-term strategy. With all three parties having joined ProRep Coalition, an emerging nonprofit with a mission of enabling multiparty democracy in California through the adoption of proportional representation in California’s State Legislature, their campaigns may very well soon begin to pay off. ProRep is growing just as quickly as the alternative parties, and if their upcoming efforts are successful, California would become the first US State with a multiparty democracy.

To read the Green, Libertarian, and Peace & Freedom parties’ statement of support for proportional representation, visit ProRepCoalition.org/Resources.

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Caledon Myers
ProRep Coalition
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