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On May 8, 2026 Initiative 26-0004 was filed with the California Secretary of State to amend the state constitution to repeal the failed "Top Two" Primary System and return to regular primaries held by each political party to determine their nominees for federal and state offices.
In response to this filing, Reform California Chairman Carl DeMaio offers the following statement:
"The Top Two Primary system has been a complete failure - and the only ones that have benefited are well-funded special interests and political candidates who have manipulated the outcome of our elections.
The Top Two system was imposed on California voters through deception. When it was put on the ballot, we were promised the system would give voters more choices and a bigger voice, but the crazy system has disenfranchised voters and given them no real alternatives when the runoff consists of candidates from the same political party.
Backers of Top Two claimed we would see more bipartisanship and collaboration in solving problems - but in the past 15 years we have seen more division and dysfunction in government.
It is time to end this failed experiment with the Top Two scam so we can take back our elections from the special interests and empower voters in each political party to choose which candidate they want to represent them in the General Election.
I'm pleased to see prominent Democrats join me in supporting the repeal of the failed Top Two system and I look forward to bipartisan collaboration to get this done.
Reform California has funding and over 18,000 volunteer signature gatherers ready and eager to collect signatures to put a repeal of the Top Two system on the ballot."
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