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Category: election reform

White House
No Labels' Failed Presidential Math and Why It Should Focus Its Efforts on Reforming the System Instead
Earlier this month, No Labels officially ended its plans to field a bipartisan “Unity Ticket” in the 2024 presidential election. While most campaigns end due to a lack of voter support or funding, No Labels’s campaign suffered the unique problem of lacking a candidate.
26 April, 2024
Asa Hutchinson
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson Declares His Support for Ranked Choice Voting
In a recent episode of The Purple Principle, a podcast that examines democracy and polarization from a nonpartisan lens, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said that while he was skeptical of ranked choice voting at first, he now sees it as a meaningful solution to elect candidates with the broadest appeal.
19 April, 2024
electoral college
How Maine Started a Voter Revolution, And Is Now Going Backwards
Election reformers have looked to Maine for several years now as a pioneer in adopting policy solutions that put voters first in elections. Maine voters have taken it upon themselves to enact better elections – and have won major victories.
17 April, 2024
ballot
Top Four Nonpartisan Primary Initiative in Idaho Surpasses 84,000 Signatures
An initiative that would open the taxpayer-funded electoral process in Idaho to all voters has more than 84,000 signatures, according to the group spearheading the initiative, Idahoans for Open Primaries. 
17 April, 2024
crowd
A Look at the Millions of Taxpayers Denied an Equal Voice in Elections
If there is one day out of the year that many Americans collectively dread it is April 15 -- Tax Day. But for millions of US voters, it is also a reminder that while they help foot the bill for elections, they are denied the right to an equal vote in them.
15 April, 2024
Glenn Youngkin
The Irony of Gov. Glenn Youngkin Vetoing a Ranked Choice Voting Bill
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has said no to a bill that would clarify how ranked choice voting (RCV) is supposed to work in local elections -- which is odd considering the only reason Youngkin is governor is because of a RCV nomination process at the 2021 Virginia GOP convention. 
12 April, 2024
Electoral College
The Electoral College Reform the Nation Needs is Not What Either Party Wants
Nebraska is one of only two states that has a system that awards its Electoral College votes based on the popular vote in each of its congressional districts. However, there is a contingent of state lawmakers who want to change this with the support of former President Donald Trump.
08 April, 2024
missouri state capitol
The Missouri Resolution Designed to Sucker Voters into Banning Ranked Choice Voting
There is a resolution in the Missouri Legislature that if approved by voters would ban the use of ranked choice voting (RCV). However, RCV isn't the sole subject. There is another provision meant to trick voters into supporting it. 
05 April, 2024
two parties
Penn. Voter: Closed Primaries Are a Modern Version of 'Taxation Without Representation'
Efforts to reform Pennsylvania's closed partisan primary system continue with groups like Ballot PA urging state lawmakers to give independent voters equal voting rights in the state's taxpayer-funded elections process.
03 April, 2024
California flag
10 Years Ago, IVN Warned CA Independents Not to be Fooled by the American Independent Party -- But the Issue Persists
On April 1, 2014, IVN was the first to cover a campaign that warned California independent voters not to be fooled when they registered to vote. But today, hundreds of thousands of voters are still registered with the American Independent Party by mistake.
01 April, 2024
DC
DC Judge Tosses Lawsuit Against Open Primaries, Ranked Choice Voting Ballot Measure
The lawsuit was filed by the DC Democratic Party in August not long after the DC Board of Elections unanimously approved the reform initiative, now known as Initiative 83, to appear on the 2024 ballot. 
31 March, 2024
ballot box
The Next Big Win in Better Election Reform Could Come Where Voters Least Expect
Idaho isn't a state that gets much attention when people talk about politics in the US. However, this could change in 2024 if Idahoans for Open Primaries and their allies are successful with their proposed initiative.
21 March, 2024
Courts
Why Do We Accept Partisanship in Judicial Elections?
The AP headline reads, "Ohio primary: Open seat on state supreme court could flip partisan control." This immediately should raise a red flag for voters, and not because of who may benefit but over a question too often ignored.
19 March, 2024
Krist Novoselic
Smells Like Independent Spirit: Nirvana's Krist Novoselic and the Fight for Better Elections
Former presidential candidate and co-founder of the Forward Party Andrew Yang sat down with Nirvana co-founder Krist Novoselic, who went from changing the status quo in music to bringing that independent spirit to the political arena and the fight for better elections.
18 March, 2024
vote
It's Time to Let All Voters Vote in South Dakota's Taxpayer-Funded Primaries
Unfortunately, the upcoming 2024 South Dakota primary election promises more of the same for our state.
15 March, 2024
make every vote count
Report: 6-in-10 New Voters Register Unaffiliated in States that Suppress Independent Voters
Mounting research continues to show the real truth behind independent voter suppression in several states across the US.
12 March, 2024
voter at polls
17% More Votes Count Under Ranked Choice Voting, Study Finds
A new study analyzing all single-winner ranked choice voting (RCV) elections since 2004 reveals a significant increase in meaningful votes and representation in elections under RCV.
12 March, 2024
people
LetUsVote: New Campaign Launches to End Discrimination Against Independent Voters
Open Primaries, in partnership with Unite America, announced the launch of LetUsVote Wednesday, a nationwide initiative that aims to mobilize and empower independent voters, who make up the largest voting bloc in the US but are treated like second-class voters.
27 February, 2024
McMaster
SC Governor Rejects Calls to Close Primaries; Squashes Claims of 'Party Raiding'
Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster does not support calls from within his party to close primary elections to registered party members only. He has long pushed back against claims that non-party members will infiltrate the primaries to manipulate outcomes.
21 February, 2024
voting
Bill Designed to De-Politicize Virginia's Top Elections Job Runs into Partisan Trouble
A bill that would strip Virginia governors of their ability to handpick a party-loyal elections commissioner was approved with a unanimous vote in the state's House but has run into trouble in the state Senate.
20 February, 2024
California Legislature
Author of California’s Top-Two Primary Says It’s Time to Reform the Reform
In 2010, California voters took the first step in empowering every California voter by abolishing party-controlled closed partisan primaries in favor of open nonpartisan primaries that advance the top two vote-getters to the November election. 
14 February, 2024
voting
Over 23.5 Million Independent Voters Are Disenfranchised in 2024 Primaries, Study Finds
As the US kicks off the 2024 presidential election cycle, more than 23.5 million registered independent voters find themselves sidelined by closed presidential primaries in 22 states, a recent report from the Unite America Institute reveals.
13 February, 2024
voting
Poll: La. Lawmakers Dismantle Nonpartisan Elections Supported by Two-Thirds of Voters
Louisiana, voters witnessed their legislature not only ignore their opinions on something as important as voter rights -- but lawmakers also spit in their faces.
23 January, 2024
Dean Phillips
Defending Democracy? Democratic Candidate Dean Phillips Calls Out DNC Hypocrisy
Democratic US Presidential candidate and US Representative Dean Phillips (Minnesota) condemned the systemic threats to US elections at every level of the process in a recent conversation with Open Primaries President John Opdycke.
22 January, 2024
i voted
Upcoming Book: America's Political Problems Start with Its Broken Primaries
A new book is slated to hit the shelves in February by former congressional candidate and Unite America Executive Director Nick Troiano, which details the fundamental problem with the US's unrepresentative and hyper-polarized political system and where change must begin: the primaries.
07 January, 2024
congress
Can Proportional Representation Mend the Fractures In Our Political System -- Or Would It Make Them Worse?
It’s well understood that America is intensely divided today and that our divisions have worsened over time. But when did politics turn into an “us-vs-them” war?
04 January, 2024
voted
Arlington, VA Board Unanimously Votes to Continue Ranked Choice Voting in Primaries
On December 19, the Arlington County Board unanimously voted to use ranked choice voting for all future county board primaries. The decision comes after a survey found that 70% of voters rated their experience with RCV as "positive," "fair," or "exceptional."
20 December, 2023
image
To Be Truly Open, More Reform Is Needed to Maine Primaries
Next year, Maine will hold its first open primary election. Every Maine voter — including the 32 percent registered as unaffiliated — will be able to vote. It’s a critical step forward.  
20 November, 2023
az
From Primaries to Administration, Arizonans Support Nonpartisan Elections
Four in five Arizona voters favor a nonpartisan primary system and nearly all voters believe election officials should function in a nonpartisan manner. This is according to a survey conducted by Arizona State University’s Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy. 
01 August, 2023
image
Just What is H.R. 1, Anyway?
H.R. 1, named the "For the People Act of 2021," is legislation originally proposed by the House of Representatives in 2019 to fight electoral corruption and shore up our representative democracy through changes in federal election law.
08 February, 2021
image
Do We Really Need Another Political Party?
OPINION: While a party that reflects progressive values would warm my heart, now is not the time to add another source of partisan divisiveness in the form of a political party.
17 December, 2020