Top Two Open Primary, what have we done?

Proposition 14 was passed with 54% of the vote and the supporters were crowing how the "independents" would be the great beneficiary of its victory.  We will get to see that benefit next Tuesday.  I did not vote for the measure and was surprised it was even allowed on the ballot.  Years before there was another attempt at open primaries that passed but was sued and overturned as a attack on freedom of assembly or whatever.

We have it now and California will get to see the disenfranchisement of all the small parties since they will never achieve the top two for a runoff.  I actually think there was a reason Prop 14 was allowed to proceed even though it destroys the "party" system. b Hell, I could join any party I want but for some reason Californians have decided that anyone of any background can vote for my candidates in the primary!  Why have a party?  The voter gets that privilege in the General Election anyway and that is fine.  But I want to pick my party's candidate in the primary.  It pisses me off a liberal can vote in the primary for my conservative person and perhaps cause mischief.  Don't we have a Constitutional right to be part of a group of our choosing anymore?

So here in my Congressional race we will get to see two Republicans splitting up a large majority Republican District and a democrat will slip in and be one of the top two.  This happened in Hawaii a couple of years ago in the reverse and showed the ridiculousness of the "top two" voting.  The losers turn out to be the smaller parties and the independents..  I think this Prop 14 experiment will probably show there are shenanigans to be discovered after the vote next week.  I am hoping the unintended consequences are transparent so we can see what a mess we have made to our right to assemble and join like minded people.