“Undo the Top Two”: Steve Maviglio Wants California to Tear Down the Election System Voters Approved in 2010

Sacramento is reopening one of California’s oldest election arguments after a new ballot measure surfaced seeking to dismantle the state’s top two voting format. More than a decade after voters approved sweeping election changes meant to weaken partisan division, critics are now pushing to restore party controlled nomination contests for congressional and statewide offices.

Political consultant Steve Maviglio submitted the initiative titled “Undo the Top Two,” beginning the legal process required before the measure can reach voters statewide. Under the current format, every registered voter receives the same ballot regardless of affiliation, with the two highest vote getters advancing into November even when both candidates belong to the same political side.

Proposition 14 reshaped campaign strategy after voters approved the measure in 2010. Candidates suddenly needed broader public appeal much earlier because Democrats, Republicans, and independent voters entered the same qualifying round together, according to Politico.

Critics argue the format weakened ideological choice while squeezing smaller movements out of competitive races. In heavily Democratic districts, Republican voters sometimes reached November without seeing a candidate from their side appear on the ballot. Similar frustration surfaced among Democrats living in conservative regions dominated by Republican candidates.

Returning to party based nomination contests would dramatically shift how major races unfold. Candidates would likely spend far more time energizing loyal supporters before attempting to widen their message later in the election calendar.

Effects linked to the proposal stretch far beyond Sacramento. California holds the nation’s largest voting population, and election changes there frequently reshape congressional fundraising patterns, advertising strategy, and national messaging operations.

Money surrounding major races also changed after the top two format arrived. Consultants, advertising firms, and political action committees adapted to an environment where candidates needed crossover appeal months earlier than under older nomination systems. Reversing the structure may redirect millions of dollars toward sharper ideological messaging designed to survive party centered contests before November arrives.

California’s current arrangement repeatedly delivered unusual November ballots during the last decade. Several races ended with two Democrats advancing while Republican voters disappeared from contention entirely. Other districts produced two Republican finalists, boxing Democratic voters out before the final round even began.

Allies of party based contests believe the existing structure diluted political identity instead of broadening representation. Opponents pushing to preserve the current format argue reopening closed nomination lanes may deepen division inside a state already fractured by economic, geographic, and cultural separation stretching from inland farming counties to dense coastal cities.

Organizers must still gather enough valid signatures before Californians can vote on the proposal statewide. That process alone is expected to trigger an expensive public struggle involving consultants, donor networks, activist coalitions, and party infrastructure competing to shape how millions of residents cast ballots in future elections.

More than a decade after Proposition 14 redrew California’s voting landscape, Sacramento is preparing for another collision over who controls the first stage of candidate selection and which voices risk getting pushed aside long before November ballots are counted.