Impact of California's 2011 Redistricting Process and the Open Primary Election on State's Political System

Impact of California's 2011 Redistricting Process and the Open Primary Election on State's Political System

Introduction

California is going through important electoral change. The composition of California's Congressional and State Legislative delegations will deeply transform, with the channel of the top-two or open primary system, new legislative boundaries and proposed term-limit reform on the next statewide ballot. With 53 members, being the largest Congressional delegation of the nation and state legislature comprised of 120-members, the impact of the redistricting process is very intense on the political scenario of States. The immediate could be the new representatives Congressional and State Legislative delegations of California, with shifting public policy priorities. California's election has been dramatically changed from proposition 14 of open primary elections. Irrespective of political party, the top two vote-getters pass on to the general election. The party nomination process has been eliminated by this initiative and drives all contenders for

Congress and the State Legislature to carry more across-the-board campaigns to draw support district-wide. It leads to a dissimilar type of electoral campaign and, eventually, should give way a different legislator. The redistricting process is no longer be controlled by elected officials as a result of Prop. 11 and Prop. 20. As a substitute, the 2012 elections assure a larger number of intensely contended federal and state races in more statewide districts than ever before. When new legislative districts of California turn into action, the political map of state and the entities corresponding to these seats will seem to be exceptionally different. New and unfamiliar constituents will be represented by current and newly elected officials. A new yield of decision makers will get a means from retirements and more competitive races and new and different legislative priorities will be brought by these new state and federal representatives. Both in style and substance, redistricting in California has been a sharp break with the past. The decision regarding the setting of district boundaries has been taken by a commission of city dwellers from outside of government, instead of elected officers or special masters appointed by court, in a procedure that has been appreciably more deceit free and participatory as compared to the past. (Brown, 2000) However, the new commission has also been criticized as many spectators, encompassing the Republican Party's members and some minority groups, have obstreperously nitpicked regarding the method and the commission that has supervised it. It has been sought by Republicans to turn over the maps of congressional and state Senate in court, therefore, for capsizing the state Senate maps and tossing that process to the courts, Republicans have put forward signatures for a referendum. (Klink Matt, 2011)

This paper intends to analyze the impact of California's 2011 redistricting process and the open primary election on State's political system. There are both many anticipations and ambiguities in the prospect of this process that will be elucidated in this paper.

Discussion

Redistricting Process

The method of delineating boundaries of congressional electoral ...