State’s June 2 Open Primary

Re George Skelton’s Capitol Journal, “Open Primary Makes the Republican One to Watch,” May 4: Republicans know that Dan Lungren will be their candidate in the general election, so why would they waste a vote for him in the primary? It’s a wonderful opportunity to vote for the Democrat who is trailing in the days before the primary, to get the least able opposition and then vote for the Republican in the general election.

SALLY R. KEATON

Rancho Mirage

* I read with interest your front-page articles about the four “leading” candidates for governor (May 4-7). I was wondering what you were going to do on May 8, given that there are 13 other candidates on the ballot running for the same office. As I feared, you did nothing.

Providing voters with information only about the four candidates of your choosing infers that we should choose from among: two candidates who believe their extensive tenure in and around politics bequeaths them a certain “right” to the governorship; one candidate who has apparently decided to shun the issues and wants people to vote for her, I suppose, because her husband is rich; and a fourth candidate, also flush with money, whose platform seems to be “cut everything by 10% and test teachers.” Have you lost your understanding of how a democracy functions best, that is, when all views are aired and the people make an informed choice? Limiting information about candidates to only those with money is unhealthy to a democracy.

ROBERT M. ROCCO

Los Angeles

* I have just received my voter information guide for the June 2 primary. What a refreshing change! Instead of one or two major candidates (and perhaps a few minor ones) for a single party, we get to see and choose among all the candidates, major and minor, for all parties. I feel as if I have been enfranchised for the first time.

Succinct statements by each of the individual candidates and by each party (major and minor) provide an opportunity, at last, for meaningful choices.

I believe that this new open primary will spark voter interest, and I predict a much higher turnout than we have had in recent past elections.

CHARLES E. HENDRIX

Pacific Palisades