Steve Westly served as California state controller from 2003-7. He is a former vice president with eBay, former Tesla board member and founder of The Westly Group, a sustainability venture capital firm. (Photo courtesy of Steve Westly)
Americans should be proud that we just voted in one of the freest and most secure elections in the world. But in California, we also have the distinction of voting in some of the most competitive elections in the nation. That’s because California is not only a leader in technology innovation but in innovating elections.
California voters passed two historic electoral reforms starting 14 years ago. The first, in 2008, took redistricting power away from the Legislature for state Assembly and Senate districts and gave it to an independent commission. In 2010, voters added congressional redistricting to the commission’s duties.
The second reform was the open primary initiative, also passed in 2010, to give voters the choice between the top two vote-getters in the June primary regardless of party. This limits the influence of the major political parties and puts the focus on who is best for the job.
Reforming our electoral process stemmed from gridlock in Sacramento. The state was virtually ungovernable for decades, through the early 2000s. I know because I was there in the early 2000s, serving as state controller with two governors, Democratic Gray Davis and Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger.
When the state nearly ran out of money in 2004, I had to make an emergency trip to Wall Street to raise money and prevent California’s bonds from being downgraded to “junk bond” status. The state was on the verge of not being able to meet payroll with a $14.5 billion budget deficit. The fifth largest economy in the world was just weeks from not being able to cash a check.
The worst part is that this fiscal crisis was largely self-made, the result of years of irresponsible spending. There was no inflation or recession to blame. Politicians catered to special interests and forced the state to run at an operating deficit that went unchecked until the bottom fell out.
There was little accountability before the Independent Redistricting Commission began drawing district lines. Incumbents enjoyed an astonishing 99% reelection rate. Elected officials had an overwhelming incentive to tow the party line over the wishes of voters or what was in the best interests of the state. If legislators wanted to vote their conscience — and buck the party establishment — they were putting their jobs on the line because the parties controlled the primaries.
Even after digging the state out of the mess, Californians paid dearly. The interest on the loans to keep the state afloat amounted to $1 million a day, every day, for eleven straight years.
Luckily, today’s Sacramento is more responsible and accountable. Open primaries put power back in the hands of voters as citizen redistricting ended gerrymandering. The overall incumbent win-rate dropped to 85% in 2020. Compromise is possible again, and the Legislature’s approval rating has gone from 9% to 49% in the decade since open primaries were implemented.
The reforms haven’t solved everything. Change takes time. California continues to face long-standing challenges such as the housing and homelessness crisis. But it’s nothing like the stagnation of the past when party-controlled primaries produced more extreme candidates who appealed to activist elements on the far left or far right. More pragmatic elected officials are making it to the Legislature, and this year alone we’ve seen more progress on housing laws than we have in years.
California is still working to improve the electoral process and in 2020 became one of just eight states to send a mail-in ballot to every registered voter. Ensuring every voter has a choice in a fair and competitive election is the foundation of a healthy democracy. The rest of the country would be wise to take notice.
Steve Westly served as California state controller from 2003-7. He is a former vice president with eBay, former Tesla board member and founder of The Westly Group, a sustainability venture capital firm.
Originally published at Steve Westly