Signature Cards or Initiative Petitions?

In January of each presidential election year, each registered voter in a Lincoln Primary state should receive a “signature card”. The card has their name and registration information pre-printed, along with space to endorse a single candidate for president and a single candidate for vice-president. There should be some ovals to fill in for a “candidate number”. (The card needs to be machine readable.) The candidate numbers and candidate information will be available on a government website. The web address will also be printed on the card along with instructions to fill out and return the card. Finally, there’s space for the voter’s signature.

This card takes the place of a traditional signature sheet. The primary could be conducted by having each candidate collect signatures on signature sheets from February thru August. On September 1st, the five candidates with the most signatures qualify for the general election ballot. This would be extraordinarily expensive and the candidates with the most money will always win. With signature cards, the state collects the signatures – not the candidates. Compared to signature sheets – filled out by paid signature gatherers – this is relatively simple, cheap, fair to all candidates, and far – far more secure.

Voters simply designate their preferred candidates, sign the card and return it to their local elections office. Elections officials process the card by verifying the signature and adding the candidate endorsements to the official poll results. The voter is then sent a replacement card which can be used to retract or alter their previously made endorsements. If a candidate drops out, or some new unsavory information about the candidate surfaces, voters can change their endorsements. On September 1st, the tracking poll ends and the five candidates with the most endorsements qualify for the general election ballot.

Primary Tracking Poll or Primary Election?

The tracking poll takes place in parallel with the existing major party primaries. (Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida, etc…) The tracking poll also continues after the major party conventions. There should be a surge in cards returned after each major party completes its nomination process. Party members will want to support their party nominee – even if they supported another candidate earlier in the poll.

A primary election or caucus takes place on a single day. Each voter must endorse one candidate, and they may not change their vote thereafter. In the presidential primary, if you don’t live in a state with an early primary or caucus, your vote typically doesn’t matter – because the outcome is usually determined before your state even votes. If you live in a state with an early primary, your vote may still be rendered worthless – if the candidate you voted for drops out before the outcome is determined.

The ballot measure.

The text shown below, (or downloadable if you are on a mobile or tablet device), is a ballot measure to implement a Lincoln Primary in Oregon. This measure could be adopted for any state that allows citizen initiated constitutional amendments.

The Electoral College or The Nationwide Popular Vote?

The Lincoln Primary amendment explicitly authorizes electoral college electors to vote for the presidential candidates winning the nationwide popular vote. The Secretary of State determines these winners by canvassing the election results from all states and territories. At the sole discretion of the Secretary however, the results from any state or territory may be ignored – if an open runoff process – equal to or better than the Lincoln Primary – isn’t used. This process creates a single multistate election where only Lincoln Primary states are included.

Only two states are actually needed to overhaul the presidential election nationwide – California and Florida. It takes 270 Electoral College votes to win the U.S. Presidential election. Democrats cannot win without California’s 54 electors. Republicans cannot win without Florida’s 30 electors. If California and Florida both adopt a Lincoln Primary – the winner of the Presidential race will be chosen by the combined popular vote in just these two states. Other states (like Oregon) must eventually adopt a Lincoln Primary as well – or our votes simply will not matter.

Note that California is a “deep blue” state, and Florida is “red.” But California is much larger. If other red states don’t join Florida and adopt a Lincoln Primary, Republicans will forfeit the U.S. Presidential election. Specifically, Texas – with 40 electoral college votes, must join Florida by adopting a Lincoln Primary.

In both California and Florida, citizen initiated constitutional ballot measures are allowed. The Lincoln Primary ballot measure shown above, can be modified for adoption in either state. If Democratic voters cooperate with independent voters, a Lincoln Primary ballot measure can be passed in any state. Even Florida – a red state where 60% of the vote is needed to pass a constitutional ballot measure. The plan is to get a Lincoln Primary ballot measure passed in California – then Florida. California is the lynchpin. It’s absolutely necessary. Florida, on the other hand, could be replaced by almost any other red state or combination of states.

“Top Four”, “Top Five”, or “Top Two”?

The Lincoln Primary amendment, as written, advances five candidates to the general election ballot – but California and Washington have both adopted “Top Two” primaries. Alaska has adopted a “Top Four” primary. In Oregon, top two ballot measures have been defeated twice – by huge margins (2:1). Oregon voters see the “Top Two” as a thinly veiled scheme to disenfranchise Independent and Third-Party candidates. “Top Two” primaries preserve bipartisan general elections. “Voting for the lesser of two evils” is legally mandated.

Because there are so many states and territories involved in the U.S. Presidential election, five candidates must be advanced. We need to have at least three of the same candidates on each ballot nationwide. For all other state and local offices, advancing only four candidates is acceptable. For some low-level local offices, advancing only three candidates is probably fine.

“Multiple Endorsements” or “Ranked Choice Voting”?

With five candidates on the general election ballot, there is a very real possibility of “vote splitting.” Four of the five candidates can somehow “split” the majority of the vote, allowing the remaining candidate to be elected with far less than 50%. (In a Democracy, you cannot govern effectively without majority support.)

Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is a good solution to this problem – but there is a better alternative. “Multiple Endorsements” solves most of the same problems as RCV – but does so without all the clutter on the ballot and slow reporting of election results on election day. On each ballot, voters are instructed to “Endorse one or more” instead of “Vote for one.” There will be more votes cast than ballots returned – but that’s fine.

The Lincoln Primary amendment purposely does not mandate or prohibit any solution. This issue must be addressed separately at some later date. (Note that, as written, the Lincoln Primary amendment allows the Secretary of State to implement a solution without legislative or voter approval.)

The “Single Subject Rule”

The Oregon Constitution stipulates: “A proposed law or amendment to the Constitution shall embrace one subject only and matters properly connected therewith.” This is commonly called the “single subject rule.” The Lincoln Primary amendment does incorporate multiple issues – but each of these issues are “necessarily connected” to the main issue of abolishing political party control of the U.S. Presidential election.

Make Donations at “Independent Party of Oregon”.

Currently, donations from the general public are not being requested or accepted. If you would like to support election reform, please visit the Independent Party of Oregon website. This organization is a relatively new third party in Oregon. In the IPO 2025 – 2027 Platform statement, the IPO has endorsed both final five primary elections and an initiative primary.

Since February of 2024, membership in the IPO has been surging by hundreds, even thousands of new registered voters each month. In June of 2025, the number of registered party members surpassed 5% of the total registered voters in Oregon. Under existing law at the time, this would have qualified the IPO as major party – with a state-financed major party primary. Predictably, the Democrat controlled legislature quietly raised the voter registration threshold from 5% to 10%. (HB3809) If Democrats won’t support free and equal elections – independent voters shouldn’t support Democratic candidates.

Have a question, suggestion or comment? Use the address, email or contact form below. (Please don’t call, you will be disappointed)

Lincoln Primary
670 SE Chester Ave.
Corvallis, Or. 97333

pdamainw2018@gmail.com

Positive Feedback” or “A self-fulfilling prophecy”?

Shown below is an animated graphic that I first created in late 1984 shortly after the presidential election that year. (My name is Paul Damian Wells. I’m an electrical engineer and this is my website. I was sitting in a cubicle designing a wide bandwidth amplifier at the time.) The graphic shows the upside-down “bell” curve of “all voters” with curves for Democrat and Republican voters superimposed on top. As shown, most voters are somewhere in the middle of the curve. Democrat and Republican voters, fall to the left and right respectively. “The Keel” is the name I gave to the small group of centrist voters who fell between the Republican and Democratic parties.

In 1984, when I first created the graph, there was quite an overlap between the Republican and Democratic parties. Unfortunately, the two major parties were cooperating to enforce the “bipartisan” system. Predictably, this leads to corruption in each party. Why try to appeal to centrist voters? Under the bipartisan system – they have no choice but to “vote for the lesser of two evils.” Over time each major party moves outward – ignoring centrist voters. As each party moves outward, centrist voters are alienated and drop out of both parties. This, however, just leaves the remaining centrist voters in both major parties more outnumbered – so more centrist voters drop out. It’s now 2026, and the overlap between the two major parties has disappeared entirely. Both parties are too extreme.

In engineering, this is called “positive feedback”. In laymen’s terms, it’s called “a self-fulfilling prophecy.” People often say, “it’s not rocket science.” In this case however, it really is. Positive feedback is well understood by anyone with any engineering degree. Any engineered system with uncontrolled positive feedback will necessarily go into oscillation and destroy itself at some point. The election system defined by the U.S. Constitution, is a “negative feedback” system. In 1776, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and others, were actually competent engineers.

Elections in the U.S. have been corrupted by the two major parties. Our government is now in oscillation. The amplitude and frequency of the oscillations are both increasing. Imagine sitting in a rowboat with two idiots who refuse to sit in the middle. The center of gravity is way off. If the boat starts to rock for any reason, it only takes a few seconds before it capsizes. It doesn’t matter whether it flips to starboard or port. Everyone goes in the water and drowns.