California 2026
Why Neither Side Wants the Truth About Voter ID
Voter ID is treated like a five-alarm fire in American politics. That reaction says more about our dysfunctional political system than it does about voter ID itself.
Steve Peace
Former California State Senator Steve Peace served 20 years in the Legislature from 1982 to 2002. He is the principal author of California’s nonpartisan top-two primary election system, a landmark ref
California 2026
Mayor Matt Mahan Could Turn the California Governor Race Upside Down
Rumors are circulating that San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan may enter the race for California governor. If the recently elected Democratic mayor makes the move, he could jolt a contest that, to date, has been remarkably sleepy.
Gerrymandering
California's Governor is Not Just Messing With Texas
It is a classic political threat. Take one more step, and I will act. But this time, even though the target is Texas Republicans, it could easily turn out that California Democrats wind up taking the fall.
Independent Voters
Trojan Horse: How CA Democrats Might Use Voter ID to Turn Back the Clock
Voter IDs are a requirement in almost every democracy in the world from Europe to Mexico. But legitimate concerns over voter suppression efforts in the American south led to a different ethic inside Democratic Party circles. Over time, Voter ID plans have been presumptively conflated with claims of
California
AB 955 Revisited: How to Expand Cross-Border Care Without Sacrificing Patient Protections
IVN recently examined AB 955, by Assemblymember David Alvarez. The bill seeks to expand a healthcare service program I created in 1998 as the author of SB1658.
Independent Candidates
Why I’m Voting for Robert F. Kennedy Jr for President
I’m a lifelong Democrat. I served for more than 20 years in the California Legislature and as Director of Finance under a Democratic governor. I supported and financially contributed to Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Amy Klobuchar in 2020.
CA 2024 Election
Blame This One on Secretary of State Weber
Eight years ago, there was a competition still in play between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton when the California primary rolled around. But, even though the Democratic Party allowed independent votes to be counted toward the selection of convention delegates, then Secretary of State Alex Padilla refused to eliminate the
CA 2024 Election
Author of California’s Top-Two Primary Says It’s Time to Reform the Reform
In 2010, California voters took the first step in empowering every California voter by abolishing party-controlled closed partisan primaries in favor of open nonpartisan primaries that advance the top two vote-getters to the November election.
CALIFORNIA COURT: It's OK to Suppress Independent Voter Rights
For a state that claims to lead the nation in voter rights, California’s presidential primary rules are a study in hypocrisy. The California Constitution requires that all elections for partisan office be conducted in open nonpartisan primaries with the top two vote getters advancing to the general election. California’
On Moderation
Without the tempering influence of moderation, the public face of politics is dissolved into banal drama. Extremists engage in theatrical behavior by demonizing their foes in bitterly careless terms.
On Moderation
Editor's Note: The following is a speech given by Steve Peace in 1998 along with additional supporting documents from research and extracted passages from earlier drafts of the speech. He believes what he said then. And, he believes it today. This speech is even more relevant today than
Never Before Have Independents Had The Power Over an Election Like They Do Right Now in California
SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - It’s simple math. The Kavanaugh confirmation has calcified partisan voters like no event in recent history. The result? It’s all up to California’s second-largest group of voters, over 5 million NPPs. (NPP stands for “No Party Preference.”) These are voters who are saying