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OK, I've sent Tab and Ken the Senate Bill 100
that was passed yesterday. Essentially, this means that we will run an
"open primary" (listing all presidential candidates on all ballots),
but doing it in a "closed primary" format (handing each voter a ballot
for their party).
Another way of saying this is that all party
ballots will list all candidates running for President. This gives voters
an opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice, even a candidate
outside their party. This seems like it's an addition to the typical two
option selection of "open" or "closed" primary and that it
is the "California Presidential Primary". All statewide races
will have this feature. The difference comes in the reporting area.
The reports will track the "open" primary race for president just as
we do now, tallying all candidates votes. In addition, the GEMS tabulation
and reporting will have to check which party the ballot belongs to, and tabulate
the "open" primary counter and the party specific counter for the
Presidential race, i.e., increment a counter for the Republican ballot, if a
Republican candidate was selected and not increment it is any other
non-republican was voted for. The reporting on this would show the
"open primary" race plus a race for each party for the presidential
race as well, including non-partisan. I assume that the total votes cast
for all parties plus non-partisans would equal total votes cast. Let's
discuss.
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