It’s roughly three months to the primary election here in California; and the June ballot is going to look different. Voters will no longer receive party-specific ballots at their polling places. Proposition 14 now requires that candidates run in a single election open to all voters; with the top two vote getters meeting in a runoff. “Voters are going to be presented, most for the first time, with an election in which they see all the candidates who are running,” Secretary of State Debra Bowen said. “They’re not going to go ask for a Peace and Freedom or a Democratic ballot or a Republican ballot.”
With a voter guide likely to look more like a phone book than a pamphlet, Bowen is worried about culture shock. “The challenge there is to make sure voters, as they’re looking through the campaign materials and thinking about candidates, are considering the entire range of candidates because they can vote for anyone,” Bowen said.
Full Article: Open elections change California primary ballot | news10.net.