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The first major victory of the modern school choice movement came from a bipartisan effort, when Minnesota Democratic state Rep. Annette Polly Williams introduced legislation in 1990 to create the Milwaukee Parental Choice voucher program. Her bill was eventually signed into law by Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson and found support among civil rights leaders, as well as conservative and libertarian groups.

Unfortunately, three decades later, legislative support for school choice is much less bipartisaneven though its more popular among voters today than its ever been.

A recent Morning Consult poll found that 71% of Americans and 77% of parents of school-aged children support K-12 education savings accounts that allow families to use state education funding to customize their childs education.

Many state leaders have been listening to these voters. Last year, 19 states enacted 32 new or expanded education choice policies, and this year, Arizona expanded its ESA policy to all students. Notably, all of these policies were implemented by Republicans.

>>>Who Will Raise Children? Their Parents or the Bureaucratic Experts?

One might expect the popular support for school choice to have spurred increased political support among both parties, especially since 70% of Republican voters and 76% of Democratic voters express support for ESAs. Yet, with some notable exceptions, elected Democrats overwhelmingly oppose school choice.

Meanwhile, the GOP has firmly embraced the concept to bolster its claim to be the parents party. A recent analysis found that, in the 70 votes taken from 1990 to 2021 on stand-alone school choice legislation, 85% of state House Republicans and 88% of state Senate Republicans voted in favor of the bills. Only 17% of state House Democrats and 24% of state Senate Democrats supported the measures. On 28 occasions, the legislation passed a chamber without a single Democratic vote.

This shouldnt come as a surprise. Although most rank-and-file Democratic voters, especially minorities, support school choice, the teachers unions have outsize sway in Democratic Party politics due to their formidable fundraising and grassroots capabilities. Those who cross the unions by supporting school choice risk facing a well-funded primary opponent.

Thats not to say the GOP has been uniformly supportive. Numerous red states, including Idaho, North Dakota, and Texas, lack any private school choice policies; several others have only small programs. In the last two years, promising ESA bills were defeated in Georgia, Idaho, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, and several other red states.

In these red states, where Democrats rarely control the state legislatures, the teachers unions and other anti-school choice groups spend considerable resources to elect anti-school choice Republicans. Thus far, theyve stalled the advance of school choice in several states.

But that appears to be changing. In the Tennessee GOP primaries earlier this month, a Tennessee teachers union threw its support behind 10 Republican candidates. Nine of them lost. In Arizona, all three GOP legislators who had voted against expanding the states ESAs earlier this year lost their primaries. In Iowa , after her signature ESA bill passed the state Senate but failed in the House, Gov. Kim Reynolds backed nine pro-school choice candidates in GOP primaries, including several challengers to anti-school choice incumbents. Eight of the nine won.

Likewise, in GOP primaries in Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, and Texas, school choice has emerged as a litmus test issue. In the next legislative session, Republican caucuses are poised to be even more supportive of school choice than before.

>>>Now or Never: We Must Seize the School Choice Moment

At the same time, Democrats long-standing political advantage on education is rapidly eroding. Just five years ago, a Gallup survey found that Democrats enjoyed a 19-point advantage. But a recent poll commissioned by the American Federation of Teachers found that voters in seven key battleground states were slightly more likely to say they had greater confidence in Republicans (38%) than Democrats (37%) on education issues. As the GOP burnishes its pro-parent credentials, voters are undergoing a tectonic transformation as to which party they trust on education.

The AFTs own poll provides proof that its preferred policies are political poison. As school choice advocate Corey DeAngelis observed in the Wall Street Journal, respondents were 5 percentage points more likely to blame Democrats than Republicans for politicizing education (and making education too much a part of the culture war); were more dissatisfied than satisfied with the amount of say that parents have in what their children are taught; and expressed significantly more confidence in parent organizations (56%) than teachers unions (44%).

It is a time for choosing. Republicans are choosing to be the parents party, while Democrats are still embracing the unions that have lost the confidence of parents as they become increasingly radical and disconnected from parental concerns.

As voter preferences shift, so can political alliances. If voters reward parent empowerment and punish politicized classrooms, Democrats may find it in their long-term political interest to court parents as well. If so, we could see a new era of bipartisan support for parental choice in education.

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School Choice Reform Ought To Be a Bipartisan Effort - Heritage.org

Editors Note: Click the link below for results from the Aug. 23 primary runoff election.

The runoff election on Tuesday, Aug. 23 will narrow the candidate pool for several federal and state offices such as, superintendent, treasurer, U.S. Senate and U.S. House races.

The latest data from the Oklahoma State Election Board shows that as of the end of July, there was a gain of nearly 30,000 registered voters since the end of April, for a total of 2,267,047. Of that total, Republicans accounted for nearly 51% of voters registered, while Democrats made up nearly 31%, Independents made up 17% and Libertarians made up nearly 1%.

Below, we highlight some of the races.

The Race to Replace Inhofe

Congressman Markwayne Mullin racked up a large portion of the early and absentee vote in the Republican primary in June, but did not clear the 50-percent mark. He is facing former state House speaker T.W. Shannon in this runoff.

The two candidates outlasted a field of 13 in the primary, as they hope to fill the remainder of longtime Senator Jim Inhofe's term. Inhofe, who has been in office since 1994, announced in February he was retiring from Congress.

Both candidates are enrolled citizens of tribal nations Mullin is Cherokee and Shannon is Chickasaw. If either is elected in November, they will become the only current Indigenous U.S. Senator, and just the fifth in the history of the Senate.

The eventual Republican nominee will face former Democratic Congresswoman Kendra Horn, Libertarian candidate Robert Murphy and Independent candidate Ray Woods in the November general election.

The Other Senate Race

In Oklahomas other Senate race, incumbent Senator James Lankford won his primary race in June.

Still needing to be decided is the Democratic challenger between Stilwell-native cybersecurity professional Madison Horn and Oklahoma City lawyer Jason Bollinger. The winner of that runoff will appear on the ballot against Lankford, Libertarian Kenneth Blevins and Independent Michael Delaney in the November general election.

Congressional District 2

State representative Avery Frix and former state senator Josh Brecheen are facing each other in the Republican runoff race for Congressional District 2.

The seat, which is currently held by Senate candidate Markwayne Mullin, represents much of the eastern part of Oklahoma, with more than 791,000 residents according to the U.S. Census. The congressional district also covers a good portion of Native land.

Frix and Brecheen were the top two vote getters out of a field of 14 Republican candidates in the primary, which included the former chairman of the Oklahoma GOP, law enforcement officers and other current and former state lawmakers.

A News On 6 / News 9 poll shows a tight race between the two, with Frix holding a six-point lead and a large portion of Republicans polled still self-identifying as undecided.

The winner advances to the November general election to face Democrat Naomi Andrews and Independent Ben Robinson.

Superintendent of Public Instruction

State Secretary of Education Ryan Walters will face Shawnee Public Schools Superintendent April Grace in the Republican runoff for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. The winner squares off against Democrat Jena Nelson in November.

In the June primary, Walters won among four GOP candidates with 41 percent of the vote to second place finisher Graces 30 percent.

Walters is a Stitt cabinet appointee, but hes also the executive director of Every Kid Counts Oklahoma, a nonprofit that pays him at least $120,000 a year, according to a recent investigation from The Frontier and Oklahoma Watch. Much of the nonprofits funds come from school privatization efforts.

The Frontier also found Walters failed to report campaign expenditures in his bid for State Superintendent a violation of state ethics laws.

Grace is a longtime Oklahoma educator. According to her campaign website, her vision for education opposes the teaching of what she calls critical race theory. She also wants less regulation on federal education dollars coming to Oklahoma and touts how many in-person days Shawnee Public Schools had during the height of the pandemic.

An Amber Integrated poll released earlier this month shows Walters holds a 14-point lead among likely Republican voters.

State Treasurer

Term-limited state representative Todd Russ will face former State Tax Commission Chairman Clark Jolley in the Republican runoff.

Russ is currently serving his sixth term in the state House, representing Cordell in southwest Oklahoma. He said his 35 years of banking experience have prepared him to take on the position. If elected, he said he plans to look into the states Unclaimed Property Program, according to NonDoc.

Jolley served 12 years as a state senator and as the States Secretary of Finance. If elected, he plans to advance the Treasurer offices use of technology.

In recent news, Russ has been defending his banking record when he managed a small bank in western Oklahoma. Russ told The Oklahoman he wasnt responsible for what was called unsafe and unsound banking practices by the Federal Deposit Insurance corporation in 2009.

At a debate between the candidates hosted by News 9 and NonDoc, the candidates took digs at one another Russ accused Jolley of raising taxes on fossil fuels, and with prompt from moderators, they talked about remarks made by Russ in 2016 where he said Native Americans are predisposed to alcoholism. Russ apologized for the comment soon after.

The winning candidate will face Democrat Charles De Coune and Libertarian Gregory Sadler in November.

Current State Treasurer Randy McDaniel announced in 2021 that he would not be seeking reelection in order to prioritize his family. The candidate who takes over his seat will oversee about $22 billion of state money each year.

Labor Commissioner

During primary elections in June, Republicans narrowed their candidate field for a new Labor Commissioner, a position that oversees workplace rights and safety issues within Oklahoma.

Incumbent Leslie Osborn will try to defend her seat in the runoff against term-limited representative Sean Roberts. In the June primary, Osborn secured a vote of 48% to Roberts 38%.

Osborn is wrapping up her first term as labor commissioner and previously served a decade in the state legislature as a representative. In an interview with NonDoc, Osborn said she was proud to have helped develop the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Consultation Service Program.

Roberts is currently serving his sixth term in the state House. He sponsored a bill this legislative session that would have required Oklahoma voters to re-register to vote.

Earlier this month, five Republican lawmakers also cited decades-old court documents that detail alleged domestic abuse in Roberts previous marriage and called for him to drop out of the race. Roberts called the abuse allegations a political hit job by Osborn. A press release from Roberts campaign managers says his ex-wife has nothing bad to say about him.

The winner will face Democrat Jack Henderson and Libertarian Will Daugherty in November.

Oklahoma County District Attorney

Oklahoma County voters selected Vicki Behenna as the Democratic candidate for District Attorney in June. On the Republican side, Oklahoma County Commissioner and former state lawmaker Kevin Calvey fell just barely short of the 50 percent, and is headed to a runoff against Assistant District Attorney Gayland Gieger.

In recent news, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is looking into Calveys campaign related to investigate campaign-related expenditures from his campaign.

Calvey accused Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater of having him investigated as part of a political agenda, according to The Oklahoman. Prater said the information referred to other agencies and entities is being looked at in an independent manner.

Oklahoma Corporation Commission

Senator Kim David and former Rep. Todd Thomsen face off in the runoff to fill a seat on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. The seat is currently held by Dana Murphy, who is term-limited and cannot run for a third six-year term.

The OCC is the regulatory agency for the state, particularly for oil and gas, public utilities and transportation.

David, who received 45 percent of the vote in June, is at the end of a 12-year run as a state Senator out of Porter in eastern Oklahoma. Thomsen served in the state House from 2006 to 2018, including a stint as the chair of the Utilities Committee and on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He received nearly 27 percent of the vote in June.

Oklahoma County Commissioner

Oklahoma County Commissioner of District 1 incumbent Carrie Blumert faces a runoff election against former state lawmaker Anastasia Pittman in the Democratic race. Pittman received nearly 600 votes more than Blumert in the June election, but did not secure 50 percent of the vote required to win. The winner will face Republican Willard Linzy in November.

Myles Davidson and Amy Alexander will face off in the Republican race for Oklahoma County Commissioner of District 3. The winner will face Democrat Cathy Cummings, a former city council member of The Village, in November.

Tulsa City Council

All nine seats on the Tulsa City Council are up for a vote on Tuesday. The Tulsa World recently asked the same set of questions of all candidates. You can find their answers, broken down by each race, here.

Propositions

Newcastle Public Schools - Voters in Newcastle will decide on two propositions, totaling $79.7 million. The school bonds would fund updated school security, new storm shelters and additional classrooms to alleviate overcrowding and prepare for future growth. New school buses, textbooks and playground equipment are also included in the bonds. This bond would replace an expiring bond, so there is no projected tax increase for residents.

Bridge Creek Public Schools - Voters in Bridge Creek will cast ballots on a school bond proposition to the tune of $10.8 million. The bond will fund new classrooms at each school site and a science lab at the high school. There is no proposed tax increase for residents.

The City of Bethany - Voters in Bethany will decide on four bond propositions, totaling $15 million. The GO Bond would fund improvements to roadways, five city parks and stormwater drainage. There would also be maintenance and upgrades done at the citys police station, fire station and animal welfare facility. Passage of all four bonds would increase property taxes by $3.83 per month for homes valued at $100,000.

Garfield County - Garfield County residents will vote on a sales tax increase to expand and renovate the countys jail. The nearly $8.5 million bond would help with overcrowding by adding 82 beds and 16,000 square feet, in addition to renovations to the current building. The county sales tax would increase by 0.3 percent to 9.65 percent, which would still keep it in the lower third of county sales taxes in the state.

City Charter amendments for Tulsa and Norman - Tulsa voters will see three propositions on their ballot and Norman voters will see nine propositions. These are amendments to their city charters, regarding powers, functions and procedures of its government. More information can be found here: Tulsa | Norman.

There are many more races and issues being decided by voters on Tuesday. You can view a full list here.

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Who and what's on the ballot for the August 23rd runoff election in Oklahoma - KOSU

By Kayla Ross, Back Page Editor

The two-party system is a fact of life in America; politicians are Democrats or Republicans. Or at least, to have any success, a politician must first choose if they are a Democrat or Republican.

Sure, other political parties exist and are recognizable by name: the Green party, the Libertarian party or the Socialist party. But, no politician identified as a member of any party other than the Democrat party or Republican party will ever be elected in our current voting system. As someone who identifies more heavily with the left, I currently see the two American political parties as two choices that truly do not differ greatly from each other. The current options are a conservative party and an extremist conservative party.

George Washington always warned against political parties, or factions. Other founding fathers, such as Thomas Jefferson, found it important to provide citizens with an outline of issues they may or may not agree with. Yes, political parties give Americans an idea of what they may want to vote for. However, from my perspective, political parties are no longer just a factoid about someone. They are categories that now seem to blindly guide voters into what they think they support.

For example, many Republicans would not appreciate the 14 Republican representatives who voted against healthcare protections for veterans. On the flipside, many Democrats would likely prefer to see more action from our current president on issues such as the climate crisis, the status of womens reproductive rights and the state of our Supreme Court. Right now, it often feels that Biden is making statements about such issues as if he does not have the power to change them. He sends his thoughts and prayers, like to the rest of us, as if he does not have the executive capabilities.

Gen Z loves politicians like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Its not a coincidence. This woman was voted into office because she is one of us. She doesnt come from money. She has student debt. She has been sexually assaulted on the streets of New York City. Oh, and she is only 32 years old. But beyond all that, she is willing to admit how flawed the Democratic party is, as well as the two-party system entirely. To outwardly admit this as a politician is very unique. Young voters want honesty. We have seen the gilded lies of trickle-down economics, and we have watched and listened helplessly in the past two presidential elections as the oldest possible politicians debated over fundamental human necessities. We want honesty, and we want it from people who have not made politics their only career and livelihood.

Generally, the expectation is for surgeons to retire before the age of 70. The people we trust to shape our physical health are given a limit. Perhaps its time to put a limit on the people we trust to shape the health of this nation as well. Old politicians have made their money from picking their political party and sticking to it whether the politics have aged or not. As these old politicians die, Gen Z will not vote in similar replacements. Gen Z will move to vote in representatives who speak with priority of honesty, in place of priority of money and staying power. No matter where the younger voters identify politically, most can agree the two party system leads to hatred and keeps the same politicians in power.

As older politicians die, the hard and fast two-party system will die with them. Young voters first priority is not aligning with a party; young voters are ready to align with the promise of change.

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Aging out of the two-party system - Xavier Newswire

Boston voters ballots will have an array of choices, thanks to a state election year with contested races for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general and auditor.

Because Massachusetts is a predominantly Democratic state, most competitive races will be settled in the Sept. 6 primary. Yet primaries in Massachusetts tend to draw out fewer voters than the final elections.

State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz pulled the plug on her gubernatorial campaign in June, telling reporters she does not see a path to victory, leaving Attorney General Maura Healey the sole Democrat in the race for governor. Polling has placed Healey comfortably ahead of the Republicans in the race former 7th Plymouth District state Rep. Geoff Diehl and Wrentham businessman Chris Doughty. Unenrolled candidates who will appear in the Nov. 8 general election are right-wing firebrand Diana Ploss, an Independent, and Libertarian Kevin Reed.

Running for lieutenant governor on the Democratic ballot are Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, state Rep. Tami Gouveia and state Sen. Eric Lesser. Republican candidates for that office are former state representatives Kate Campanale and Leah Cole Allen.

In the race for secretary of state, corporate attorney and Boston Branch NAACP President Tanisha Sullivan is taking on 28-year-incumbent William Galvin. Sullivan is running on a platform of expanding voting rights and making government more transparent and accessible.

Former Boston City Council President Andrea Campbell has consistently polled ahead of the competition in the race for the attorney general seat soon to be vacated by Healey. Campbell is running against labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan and former U.S. Department of Commerce General Counsel Quentin Palfrey. The winner in the Democratic primary will face off against Rayla Campbell, a Trump supporter.

Running for state auditor are Democrats Chris Dempsey, former executive director of the Transportation for Massachusetts coalition and a former Mass Department of Transportation official under the Deval Patrick administration, and state Sen. Diana DiZoglio. The winner of the Sept. 6 primary will face off against Republican Anthony Amore, an author and security expert.

In Boston, the chain reaction set by a race for an open governors seat has produced several hotly contested races. The bid last year by 2nd Suffolk District incumbent Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz for the governors seat set off a chain reaction of down-ballot vacancies.

2nd Suffolk District

Running for Chang-Diaz 2nd Suffolk District seat are state Reps. Nika Elugardo and Liz Miranda; former HUD regional counsel Miniard Culpepper; former 2nd Suffolk Sen. Dianne Wilkerson; and James Grant, a church deacon making his first run for office. The four-way race has claimed much of the campaign oxygen, with staff, volunteers and consultants working on behalf of the candidates. Culpepper, Elugardo and Miranda have each raised more than $120,000, claiming the lions share of campaign cash in the city. No other non-incumbent candidates in Boston have raised more than $35,000.

15th Suffolk

After Elugardo announced her candidacy for the 2nd Suffolk Senate seat last December, four candidates emerged in the race for her House district, which includes most of Jamaica Plain and Mission Hill. Former Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation organizer Samantha Montano, former director of Youth Homelessness Initiatives for the City of Boston Roxanne Longoria, Northeastern University grad student Richard Fierro and environmental attorney MaryAnn Nelson are all knocking doors in the district.

5th Suffolk

Liz Miranda was the first to announce for the 2nd Suffolk District race in November, leaving vacant her Dorchester-based House seat (which now includes precincts in Roxbury). Vying for that 5th Suffolk seat are Christopher Worrell, director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the Boston Planning and Development Agency; Danielson Tavares, chief diversity officer for the city of Boston; and former one-term state Rep. Althea Garrison, who also completed the last year of at-large City Councilor Ayanna Pressleys seat after Pressley was elected to Congress. The Rev. Roy Owens is running a long-shot write-in campaign for the seat as well.

6th Suffolk

Five-term incumbent Russell Holmes is facing clothier Haris Hardaway, who is making his first run for elected office. Hardaway reported $2,085 raised as of the June 30 reporting date for campaign contributions. Holmes reported $53,655 in his campaign account at the July 31 reporting date.

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Election guide: Whos on the ballot? - BayStateBanner

This story was originally published July 28, 2022 by CalMatters.

Rich Kinney readily concedes: Making it onto California's November election ballot is a miracle.

The 66-year-old associate pastor and former mayor of San Pablo in the Bay Area is running to unseat Democratic Assemblymember Buffy Wicks out of staunch opposition to her support for abortion rights.

What did it take for him to make the Nov. 8 ballot? Only about 60 signatures to qualify as a Republican write-in candidate for the June 7 primary, and a mere 37 votes to finish in the top two.

Wicks won 85,180.

Kinney, the only other official candidate in the Assembly District 14 primary, said the write-in process allows newcomers a chance to move forward without the challenges of fundraising against an incumbent.

"Going around my district and trying to get funding was ridiculous. No one wants to give funding to a campaign that's not going to get out the gate," he told CalMatters.

It lets people onto the playing field, but not onto one of the teams.

Thad Kousser, Professor of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego

While some candidates might spend millions of dollars or months campaigning, California's top-two primary system means that in races with only one other candidate, it's possible for a write-in candidate to sneak into second place with very little support.

For the June 7 primary, state Assembly and state Senate candidates needed as few as 40 people to sign nomination papers to qualify as write-in candidates. And no matter how few votes they won, as long as they finished in second, they advanced to the November election.

This year, Kinney wasn't the only one to win fewer than 50 votes and make it onto the ballot. Thomas Edward Nichols, a Libertarian running against Republican incumbent Jim Patterson of Fresno in Assembly District 8, made it with just 15 votes. Mindy Pechenuk, a Republican in Assembly District 18, advanced to a matchup with Oakland Democrat Mia Bonta with just 31.

In total, nine write-in candidates moved on to the general election in state Assembly races, and two for state Senate seats.

But while getting onto the ballot is one feat, winning the race is another. It's a reality that Kinney acknowledges.

"I really understand that it's next to impossible to be able to unseat a sitting Democrat in the Legislature," said Kinney, who ran unsuccessfully for state Assembly in 2014 and for state Senate in 2016. "But we've got to put up a good fight anyway. It's important that voters who care about the decency of life have an opportunity to rally together and say so."

Christian Grose, academic director of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy, said while it's a quirk of the election system that write-in candidates can make it to the ballot with so little support, it's not necessarily a problem caused by the top-two primary system or by the write-in process.

"It's the lack of serious competition from formal Republican and Libertarian candidates," he said. "Basically, it's the lack of organized challengers that's the problem."

Because of the write-ins, only two candidates for 100 legislative seats have a free pass on the Nov. 8 ballot: Republican Assemblymember Vince Fong of Bakersfield and Democratic Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer of Los Angeles. (Democrat Giselle Hale, mayor of Redwood City, withdrew last week for the open Assembly District 21 seat in Silicon Valley, but her name will still appear on the ballot with Diane Papan, a San Mateo City Council member and now the only active candidate.)

The write-in process was established in California in 1911 as part of the Progressive Era political reforms, according to Alex Vassar, communications manager at the California State Library.

Prior to that, political parties would hand out "tickets" to voters essentially filled-out ballots.

"One of the major goals was to empower individual voters and weaken the political machines,' and give voters the ability to make separate decisions in each election contest. California adopted what was called 'the Australian ballot,' which was essentially the modern secret ballot that we know and love today," Vassar said.

Only a handful of write-in candidates have won either legislative or congressional seats in the last century. Vassar said it was "beyond rare" in 1930, 1936, 1944, 1958 and 1982.

When U.S. Rep. C. F. Curry died in office in October 1930, his son, C. F. Curry Jr., won the seat the next month as a write-in, defeating a Republican, a Democrat, and two independents. When Assemblymember Lee Bashore died in September 1944, he had already won both the Republican and Democratic nominations. Three write-in candidates ran, and Ernest R. Geddes was elected with 45.9% of the vote, according to Vassar.

"It lets people onto the playing field, but not onto one of the teams," said Thad Kousser, a professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego. "It allows candidates entry, but then places a mountain to climb still for write-in candidates."

Statistically the political winds are not in the favor of a challenger like me.

Write-in candidate Leon Sit, a 19-year-old engineering student at UCLA

Even if the write-in candidates are political unknowns, it creates more competition for the general election, Grose said.

"It's probably a nuisance for these incumbents who will probably win," he said. "They're going to do a little more work, and that's not so bad."

In an April meeting of the Santa Monica Democratic Club, state Sen. Ben Allen acknowledged that to keep his seat, he had to beat a write-in candidate Kristina Irwin.

"She seems like a very nice person who watches way too much Fox News, and she's just kind of, like, adopted all the crazy Republican conspiracy theories," Allen said at the event, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press. He added that being pushed to campaign more aggressively would be a good thing.

Irwin won 6,260 votes in the primary far more than the 213 earned by another write-in candidate in that race, but 159,000 votes fewer than Allen.

In Orange County, write-in candidate Leon Sit, a 19-year-old engineering student at UCLA, advanced to the general election with 551 votes from Orange and San Bernardino counties.

That result "reinforces that the voice of each and every voter matters, that every vote counts," Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page said in an email. From an election operations standpoint, Page said the write-in process does not create any additional work or challenges.

Sit said he used social media to gather support, and was also interviewed by local reporters, which increased his name recognition.

Still, he said, "statistically the political winds are not in the favor of a challenger like me." And if he somehow beats Republican Phillip Chen, he might have to cut back on his course load or even take a break from school.

"I didn't come into this to be a legislator," Sit said. "I did it to give the district a choice between two candidates, even if one of those candidates was a 19-year-old college student."

Nichols, who is up against Patterson, won a spot on the November ballot with even fewer votes, just 15. Like Sit, he knows unseating the incumbent is a long shot.

Patterson has been in the Legislature since 2012, The district, which encompasses the Central Valley and parts of the Sierra Nevada, is largely Republican.

Still, Nichols said he was motivated to run to get the Libertarian Party's message before voters and to raise the issues he sees in his local community, especially the increased cost of living due to fire threats specifically, homeowner and property insurance.

Nichols says he's glad the write-in process exists and that it could give voters a way to think "outside of the duopoly that dominates our political culture."

"I've got to say, I really appreciate the fact that an engineer up here in the foothills could wind up on the ballot going after an incumbent," he said. "I'm satisfied with the democratic process in that respect."

Continued here:
Is It Too Easy For Write-In Candidates in California Elections? - KCET