In an appearance in San Diego today promoting Proposition 11, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called passage of Proposition 11 "the most important thing."
But Schwarzenegger also hinted at what good-government reform he might tackle next: open primaries.
Under current law, Republican voters (plus independents except in presidential races*) pick the Republican nominee and Democratic voters (plus independents) pick the Democratic nominee.
That's called a closed primary.
In an open primary, voters from any party can vote for any candidate, with the top two voter getters, regardless of party, moving on to the general election.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled such a system in Washington state constitutional earlier this year.
Political scientists generally believe open primaries lead to more moderate, centrist candidates.
So here's what Schwarzenegger had to say today:
"We will change the way the district lines are drawn and we will change the performance in Sacramento and will create more performance. And, of course, the next thing is open primaries. That's how we have to walk down that road and create the real change and not stay with the status quo."
*The original version of this post said that only Republicans pick Republican nominees. That is true of the presidential primary, but in legislative primaries independents can cast GOP ballots, according to Republican bylaws.
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