California government is an ungodly mess, but the system it is considering--called a "jungle primary" or a "Louisiana primary"--is no guarantee of good government. The Pelican State has used it since 1976, although in 2008 it reverted to traditional party primaries for Congress. (In Louisiana, the open primary is held in November and there is no runoff if one candidate tops 50%.)
Its most famous result was the 1991 governor's race, in which the runoff pitted corrupt former governor Edwin Edwards, a Democrat, against white supremacist David Duke, a Republican. Edwards won, on the strength of one of the all-time great bumper-sticker slogans: "Vote for the crook. It's important."
Both men turned out to be crooks. Edwards is still in prison for racketeering; Duke served a term for tax fraud. If Californians pass Proposition 14, one can only hope they have better results.
-James Taranto
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