Measure K
Eliminating Low-Turnout June Runoffs in San Diego
IVP authored the ballot measure that eliminated San Diego's 50%+1 rule, which allowed candidates to win city elections in low-turnout June primaries without ever facing voters in November.
San Diego elections were being decided before most voters showed up.
Under San Diego's old rules, a candidate who received more than 50% of the vote in the June primary won the seat outright — no November election needed. The problem: June primary turnout was a fraction of November general election turnout. City leaders were being elected by a small slice of the electorate.
IVP authored Measure K to fix this. The measure eliminated the 50%+1 rule, ensuring that all San Diego city races would appear on the November ballot when the most voters participate.
Write it, pass it, build on it.
IVP drafted Measure K and built the coalition to get it on the November 2016 ballot. The argument was simple: elections should be decided when the most people vote, not the fewest.
Measure K passed with 58.6% of the vote. It was followed by two companion measures: Measure L (same cycle, 66% approval) extending the same principle to ballot initiatives, and Measure D (2018, 62% approval) applying the rule at the county level.
Key Milestones
Measure K Placed on Ballot
IVP authors and qualifies the measure for the November 2016 San Diego city ballot.
Measure K Passes — 58.6%
San Diego voters approve the measure, eliminating the 50%+1 rule that let candidates win in low-turnout June primaries.
Measure L Also Passes — 66%
Companion measure extends the same principle to ballot initiatives, ensuring they also appear on the November ballot.
Measure D Passes at County Level — 62%
The reform expands to the county level with Measure D, applying nonpartisan November election rules across San Diego County.
What Measure K Changed
San Diego city races now always go to November, when turnout is highest and most representative.
November Elections Guaranteed
No more city races decided in low-turnout June primaries. Every contested race goes to the general election.
Higher Turnout, Better Representation
November elections draw 2-3x more voters than June primaries, producing results that better reflect the full electorate.
Companion Reforms Followed
Measure L and Measure D extended the principle to ballot initiatives and county-level races.
“Elections should be decided when the most people vote, not the fewest. Measure K made that the law in San Diego.”
— Independent Voter ProjectRelated Cases
Proposition 14 — California Top Two Primary
IVP authored the ballot measure that replaced California's closed partisan primaries with a nonpartisan Top Two system — giving every voter access to every candidate on a single ballot.
Read the Full StoryNearly 40 million Californians now participate in a primary system that doesn't require party membership. Proposition 14 remains the most significant structural election reform in modern California history.
Every reform starts with someone writing the law.
IVP authors ballot measures, qualifies them, and defends them in court. Your donation funds the next initiative: from draft language to the ballot box.