Prop 14 does not make the presidential election an open primary process, but leaves it a closed primary process. This is a serious short-coming IMHO. The parties will choose their own candidates to be listed on the primary ballot, as the party's candidate. The winner of the primary selection process will be given a place on the general election ballot.
As before, non-party candidates and third party candidates can qualify for the presidential primary ballot if they fulfill the petition signature requirements, or if the Secretary of State determines that a person is a well enough "recognized candidate" in the nation, or in CA, to deserve a place on that ballot.
Local Offices
The third set of offices addressed by Prop 14 includes judicial, county, and city offices. Elections to these offices will all be strictly nonpartisan. That is, only a list of names will be shown on the face of the ballot, and no one can state a party preference. No party nominations will be allowed for any nonpartisan office. The rules governing access to the ballot vary, depending on the office. For example, sitting judges will have access to the ballot because they are, at first, appointed by the governor, and then required to win re-election. The Secretary of State's web site has the ballot access rules for all candidates.
The Duopoly Ouster
Prop 14 has expelled the two-party duopoly from the control room for CA elections. In the past, the government did the bidding of the duopoly. It made laws to their advantage, and even printed their ballots for them, giving them the undeserved sheen of officialdom. But now, the voters have put their government in charge of election procedures. The two parties are out on the street, like every other political organization.
In the past, many folks felt pressured to register with one of the two major parties, because they did not want to "waste" their votes on some third party that never had a chance of winning major office. Thus, the numbers of registered Dems and Repubs has been artificially inflated. Many of these identifiers are ripe for being drawn to another party, if the appeal is well made.
Change creates opportunities. Those who sought a career in politics, in the past, have had to work within the two-party system, because that was the only path to success. But now, they are no longer "official" organizations, and the possibility exists for new paths to be created.
Even within the two parties there are office-holders and activists who do not feel at home. Some of these folks really want to dedicate their work to the public interest, and detest the partisan in-fighting and gridlock in our state capital. Now the way is open for noble minded pragmatists to organize and defeat the known self-serving extremists.
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