MODERATELY INCLUSIVE; OPEN PRIMARY CUTS DOWN ON FRINGE ELEMENTS AS CANDIDATES ARE FORCED TO FOCUS ON ISSUES OF INTEREST TO LARGE SWATH OF VOTERS.

Byline: Matthew N. Klink

FOR those of you who have seen an unusually large number of political advertisements on television and are wondering why, California's primary elections have undergone a major change.

If you vote June 2, you'll be a firsthand witness to a new, dramatically different type of primary election. You'll see a ballot with all candidates listed, regardless of party affiliation. And you will have the option of voting for one candidate, regardless of party affiliation.

In November 1996, Californians approved Proposition 198, which created blanket primaries. Under blanket primaries, registered voters of any political party may vote for any candidate regardless of party affiliation. The top vote-getters of each party will then compete in the state's November general election.

This system replaces California's closed primary where Republicans could only vote for Republicans, Democrats for Democrats and Independents were excluded. As these more inclusive primaries approach, California voters are seeing an evolving political environment where candidates seek the middle ground and where they discuss issues of substance earlier in the campaign season.

Proposition 198 was placed on the ballot by fiscally conservative and socially moderate Republicans who reacted to the growing number of right-wing candidates winning Republican primaries but losing general elections. They convinced the majority of California's moderate voters that a more open system would attract more moderate candidates, giving voters more reasonable choices. Republicans feared that the growing number of socially conservative GOP candidates with extremist positions on issues such as abortion and decreased education funding were returning the Reagan Democrats of the 1980s to the Democratic Party.

To make matters worse, arch-conservative candidates were losing key GOP constituencies - women, young voters and fiscal conservatives - to President Clinton's ``apparent'' moderate policies.

Ironically, for the immediate future, the blanket primary may benefit Democrats more than Republicans. Due to the number of conservative Republicans competing for elected office and an equal number of moderate Democratic candidates seeking similar offices, California's moderate voters will favor more reasonable Democratic candidates over their Republican counterparts.

While its impact has been subtle, California's voters have already benefited from the new primary system. Under the old system, instead of running one narrowly targeted campaign toward the party faithful and a general election geared toward the entire district, candidates now face the task of running two campaigns to the broad swath of voters.

For example, running under California's old primary system, Dan Lungren, having no serious Republican opposition, would run a token primary campaign to ensure GOP turnout and hoard his cash for an expensive general election. Now, Lungren is forced to campaign against all his Democratic rivals in the primary, as witnessed by his multimillion dollar, statewide television commercial buy, and against the Democratic nominee in November's general election. He is even forced to debate the Democratic hopefuls.

This more open system has made elections more expensive. But, campaigns have opened up, and candidates have begun discussing issues of importance to the majority of voters earlier and more often. And, California voters are witnessing firsthand candidates at all levels aggressively trying to entice opposition party members to their camps early in the campaign season.

Nowhere is this attempt to convert crossover voters more evident than in California's gubernatorial election. Congresswoman Jane Harman, D-Torrance, the only woman in the gubernatorial race, is aggressively and successfully pursuing Republican women. Multimillionaire Al Checchi, who doesn't even mention that he is a Democrat in his $20 million-plus of television advertisements to date, focuses a significant portion of his voter outreach efforts on enticing Republicans and Independents. Gray Davis, while trying to convince Independents and Republicans that he is moderate, has been unable to shake his ties to former Gov. Jerry Brown and is struggling to solidify his Democratic base.

And, Lungren is desperately trying to shed his extremist label, most particularly his anti-abortion position, to keep women and young Republicans from abandoning his candidacy.

The immediate benefits of the blanket primary, while subtle, are nonetheless producing positive change. Voters are witnessing an increased willingness by candidates running for all levels of elected office to discuss issues that impact the largest possible number of people. Slowly, candidates across the political spectrum are realizing that instead of catering to the fringe element of each political party, issues that reverberate with broader segments of society are being discussed earlier and more substantively.

Over time, blanket primaries will reduce the impact that both the extreme right and far left have in primary elections, which was Proposition 198's intent. Ultimately, voters will get more moderate candidates and will receive more information earlier, a system which should ultimately lead to a more educated voter capable of making better decisions.