This collection contains the records of the group formed by John B. Elliott to abolish the practice of cross-filing in California
(Abolish Cross-Filing in California). Cross-filing is a practice that permits candidates for political office to register
in multiple parties for primary elections. If a candidate then wins nominations from multiple parties, they run with less
(or no) competition in the fall election. The records present in this collection include filing vouchers, correspondence,
clippings, subject files, cancelled checks, and financial information. The proposition to abolish cross-filing passed in 1952.
Cross-filing is the practice that allows candidates for political office to register as candidates in multiple parties in
primary elections. If a candidate wins nominations from multiple parties, then they run with less (or no) competition in the
fall election. Cross-filing was perceived to be an instrument of the corrupt lobbyist and political-boss controlled political
system in California. John B. Elliott (1878-1967) spearheaded the movement to put a proposition on the 1952 ballot that would
elminate cross-filing. Elliott, a journalist who had served as the Southern California chairman of Woodrow Wilson's and Franklin
Delano Roosevelt's first presidential campaigns, was also the president of the Jameson Petroleum Company. His efforts to elimate
cross-filing were successful, and the proposition on the 1952 ballot (Proposition #13) passed.
8.5 Linear feet
The collection contains published articles; researchers are reminded of the copyright restrictions imposed by publishers on
reusing their articles and parts of books. It is the responsibility of researchers to acquire permission from publishers when
reusing such materials. The copyright to unpublished materials belongs to the heirs of the writers. Permission to publish,
quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
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