‘JUNGLE PRIMARY’ BALLOT MEASURES GO DOWN IN FLAMES

Stop RCV coalition co-chair Trent England wrote a piece for the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs detailing the failures of jungle primary ballot measures.

Idaho voters similarly crushed a top-four primary and ranked-choice general election scheme, with 70 percent of voters saying “no.” Other states rejecting similar schemes include Arizona, Colorado, Montana, and Nevada. And while the election has not yet been called, it seems Alaska voters will repeal the top-four primary and ranked-choice general system that passed narrowly there in 2020.

As voters in all these states discovered, there are many reasons to oppose jungle primary schemes. They often lead to candidates from just one party advancing to the general election. Candidates can “win” a top-two primary with very small pluralities (rather than the majority now required) if many candidates run. Minor parties completely disappear. Political parties lose power, which shifts to individual donors and outside groups.

Ballot measures to implement jungle primaries were rejected by voters in seven states despite the millions of dollars spent by left-wing groups. Hopefully, advocates take a hint and abandon their broken election systems.