I decided to vote for Proposition 14, which makes the general election a runoff between the two highest polling primary candidates even if they are in the same party. I decided that the effect of the proposition might be to weaken the power of social conservatives in the Republican Party, but to strengthen social conservatives in the much larger Democratic Party. The Democratic Party is divided into two parts: the well funded Hollywood establishment, whose priority is social liberalism, and what I call the South and East LA Democrats, who have very different priorities and who mostly voted for Proposition 8, which defines marriage as every civilized nation in the world, Christian heritage or not, did until ten years ago – as between a man and a woman. Proposition 14 will make it easier for alternatives to the Hollywood Democrats not to have to carry the label Republican, which is unacceptable in East and South Los Angeles, and still be competitive.

In some ways this proposition is not fair to minor parties. My solution to the problem for minor political parties is the New York State rule. In New York State, they have parties like the Conservative or Liberal that are permitted to nominate Republican or Democratic candidates as also their own, and have them so labeled on the ballot: but if they do not like the Republicans or Democrats, they can nominate their own candidates instead. As it is now, the Greens, Libertarians, Peace and Freedom, and American Independent cannot share candidates with the larger parties. This would enable them to do so, and give them more weight.