The Arizona Republic editorial board has written a strong endorsement of the proposal to move from partisan to nonpartisan primaries in the state:
“In today’s politics, those with the most extreme views are winning office, powered by partisan primaries and the small percentage of fervent party members who vote in them. …
“It’s time to restore some sanity in our politics, and to do so we must begin by changing a primary system that has encouraged — and favored — the most extreme candidates.”
The editorial explains what’s distinctive about the Arizona proposal: it leaves it to the legislature (or the Secretary of State, if the legislature doesn’t act) to decide whether to adopt California’s top-2 system, without RCV, or something like Alaska’s top-4 system with RCV. The editorial considers–and refutes–a myriad of arguments that opponents of the proposal have leveled against it. The whole editorial is worth reading.
It’s worth noting also that a few days ago the Arizona Supreme Court rejected an effort to nullify the ballot initiative on the ground that its proponents did not gather enough valid signatures.