Why is Top 3 Better?

• Voters get more and better choices.

  California voters are not one-size-fits-all. Millions of voters do not identify with either major party, and many voters care more about candidates’ positions, competence, and responsiveness than party labels alone.

  But under Top Two, crowded primary fields can produce an artificially narrow November choice. Several candidates may have real support, but only two move on. That can squeeze out a broadly acceptable candidate and leave voters choosing between fewer options than California’s electorate deserves.

• Voters get better and fairer representation.

  Top 3 creates real competition so the parties and candidates have to listen to everyday people. It also makes it harder for party insiders, activists, or special interest groups to control who wins.

  Every voter gets an equal say in the outcome. The election winner is the candidate who best and most fairly reflects the voters’ choices.

• Candidates have to earn every vote.

  With Top 3 candidates must work to earn every vote.

  When elections aren’t competitive, people get divided and stop caring. With fair competition, we find common ground.

  To win in Top 3 candidates need support from many different voters, not just their party’s base. That means less toxic politics and more problem-solving that appeals across groups.

• Reduces Incentives for strategic voting.

  Under our current system, many people feel like they must vote for someone they don’t like in order to stop someone else from winning.

  With Top 3, you can vote honestly for the candidates you like most AND still have a say on the ones you like least.

• Mitigates risks of spoilers.

  In head-to-head matchups, no candidates are eliminated. Every head-to-head contest among candidates is worth as much as every other. This means a candidate with a small but loud group of supporters doesn’t win just because other voters split their support among several similar candidates that most people like better.

  It also means voters can support a third-party candidate without worrying it will hurt the chances of their preferred major party candidate.

  In current elections, the major party candidates are just competing against each other (if they’re competing at all). In Top 3, the major party candidates compete on a fair playing field against all of the other candidates on the ballot.

  Winning in head-to-head matchups matters equally regardless of the candidates’ party affiliation.

• Clear results voters can verify.

  Top 3 does not use elimination rounds. Election officials can publish the results of each head-to-head matchup directly.

  The public can see the comparisons, the margins, and the final result. That makes the system easier to explain, easier to audit, and easier to trust.