The Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board says 2019 is the year New Mexico needs to adopt open primaries. The two candidates for governor have not closed the door on opening the state's primaries, and the Albuquerque Journal says that's a good thing.

"As our elected officials are deciding whether they want to go out on a limb on this issue, they should take into consideration the fact that there are more than 273,300 independent voters in our state right now locked out of voting in New Mexico primary elections. That’s simply unacceptable.

The current system rewards extreme candidates at the expense of those with centrist appeal, and it perpetuates the party politics that are such a turnoff to many voters. Perhaps that’s why many new voters are choosing to be independents rather than Democrats or Republicans.

All independents and minor party voters in our state should familiarize themselves with where candidates for the Legislature and secretary of state stand on opening up primaries to those not affiliated with a major political party, and they should take that into consideration when they cast their ballots in the Nov. 6 general election."

Read the full editorial here.