Category: open primaries
Rally for Open Primaries: 2024 Reforms Offer Every Voter a Seat at the Table
Hundreds of US voters gathered Monday to not only celebrate a historic year in nonpartisan election reform, but also show their support for several 2024 ballot initiatives that promote equal voting rights for all citizens in taxpayer-funded elections.
23 October, 2024
Closed Primaries: The Biggest Voter Suppression Mechanism in Use Today
The nonpartisan reform group Open Primaries released a new video that highlights the current state of a growing movement to reform the way critical taxpayer-funded primary elections are conducted in the US.
22 October, 2024
Latest Poll Points to Potential Trouble for 'Top Two' Measure in South Dakota
Amendment H, which would implement a nonpartisan top two primary system in South Dakota, may be in serious trouble. That is, if a recent News Watch poll is accurate.
22 October, 2024
The Only Thing Missouri Amendment 7 Does Is Ban More Choice Elections
Not much attention is on Amendment 7 in Missouri as millions of dollars have gone into ads for and against other proposals that deal with abortion, online sports betting, and a new casino. However, the amendment will affect the voting rights of every Missouri citizen.
17 October, 2024
In Alaska, Will Voters Go Back To Elections Controlled by Party Bosses and Special Interests?
Alaska voters have a choice this election: Keep the nonpartisan election reform that opened taxpayer-funded election to all voters and candidates. Or, return to a system where party leaders have the most control over election outcomes.
16 October, 2024
The Denver Post Makes a Strange Endorsement on Voting Reform in Colorado
The Denver Post Editorial Board has issued an endorsement on Proposition 131 in Colorado, an initiative that calls for a nonpartisan top 4 open primary with ranked choice voting. They ask voters to vote "No," but not because they have doubts about the reform.
15 October, 2024
AZ Supreme Court Finally Ends Legal Drama over Prop 140, Says Votes Will Count
Early voting is set to kick off in Arizona this week, and the state Supreme Court has put to bed a legal battle over Prop 140 that has dragged on well past the printing of ballots. The high court ruled that votes for Prop 140 will count.
06 October, 2024
US Voters, Activists Set to Rally for Open Primaries Ahead of Historic Elections
The 2024 election cycle is already a historic year for election reform. Six states plus the District of Columbia have measures on the November 5 ballot that, if approved by voters, will open taxpayer-funded primary elections to voters outside the Republican and Democratic Parties.
03 October, 2024
Idaho Lawmakers Threaten to Repeal Prop 1 If Voters Pass It
Idaho Republican lawmakers have indicated that because they don't like election reforms in Proposition 1, they will consider repealing or amending the proposal if voters approve it in November.
02 October, 2024
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt: 'Open Primaries Aren't a Weird, Foreign Concept'
In a new video posted by the nonpartisan primary reform group Open Primaries, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt discusses his support for an open primary system in which all candidates have to make their case to all registered voters, regardless of party.
01 October, 2024
Question 3: Will Nevada Once Again Vote for More Choice in Elections?
In 2022, a majority of Nevada voters said 'Yes' to a ballot measure that would open up primaries to all voters and candidates and implement ranked choice voting in the general election. The question is: Will they do it again in 2024?
29 September, 2024
CI-126 and CI-127: Montana Voters Could Permanently Change Who Controls Elections
Montana voters have a choice to make: They can keep the state's partisan primary system, which decides most elections in the state before most voters have a say. Or, they can end party primaries and adopt a system that is open to all voters and candidates at the most critical stage of the process.
28 September, 2024
Proposition 1: 300,000 Independent Voters Can Pass Historic Election Reform in Idaho
Nearly 300,000 independent voters in Idaho have an opportunity to pass a ballot measure that would guarantee them equal access to taxpayer-funded primary elections without having to affiliate with one of the two major political parties.
28 September, 2024
Former AZ Mayor Says Voters Can End Discrimination Against Independents with Prop. 140
Arizona voters will have several ballot measures to consider when they receive their November ballot. Among them is Proposition 140, which if passed would end partisan primaries in the state and give independent voters and candidates level footing in the elections process.
27 September, 2024
Amendment H: Are South Dakota Voters Ready to Upend a Partisan Monopoly?
South Dakota voters have a choice in the 2024 election: They can keep an election system that is solely controlled by a single political party, or they can reform elections that allow voters to choose any candidate they prefer, regardless of party under Amendment H.
26 September, 2024
Initiative 83: Independents Could Make History with DC Election Reform
Independent voters in Washington DC have an opportunity this November to gain access to the city's most critical elections, the primaries, while also implementing ranked choice voting for all District elections with Initiative 83.
26 September, 2024
Colorado Voters Appear Ready to Adopt More Choice Elections in November
A poll commissioned by Colorado Voters First shows that a clear majority (56%) of likely voters in Colorado will or probably will support Proposition 131, a measure that would implement a nonpartisan Top 4 primary with ranked choice voting in the general election.
23 September, 2024
Bradley Tusk: Secure Mobile Voting Can End the Partisan Weaponization of Elections
Tusk Ventures Founder and CEO Bradley Tusk has been making his rounds both in the media and with nonpartisan reform groups to discuss his new book, "Vote with Your Phone: Why Mobile Voting Is Our Final Shot at Saving Democracy," and the need to change incentives in US elections to guarantee less extremism and more accountable representation.
17 September, 2024
Despite Candidates Needing Independents, US Elections Have Failed These Voters
With the race to Election Day entering the homestretch, the Harris and Trump campaigns are in a full out sprint to reach independent voters, knowing full well that independents have been the deciding vote in every presidential contest since the Obama era. And like clockwork every election season, debates are arising about who independent voters are, whether they matter and even whether they actually exist at all.
11 September, 2024
The Independent Guide to 6 States (Plus DC) That Could Pass Fairer Elections in 2024
Six states plus the District of Columbia will have measures on their November 5 ballots that, if passed, will reform the way public officials are elected in a way that offers more choice to all voters, regardless of political affiliation.
03 September, 2024
AZ Supreme Court Gives State OK to Mislead Voters on Primary Reform Measure
The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that voter pamphlet language describing a nonpartisan primary reform initiative as a ranked choice voting initiative can stay.
29 August, 2024
Former Idaho AG Condemns Baseless Fearmongering over Open Primaries Initiative
Former Idaho Attorney General Jim Jones pushed back against claims that nonpartisan open primaries would lead to gun control in a recent op-ed in the Idaho Press – calling it a fear mongering tactic that has no basis in reality.
26 August, 2024
Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Tenn. Law That Suppresses Voters' Rights
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit brought by the League of Women Voters (LVW) of Tennessee and a bipartisan group of voters that challenged a 2023 law that some plaintiffs said intimidated them out of voting in the August primaries.
20 August, 2024
AZ Initiative to End Partisan Primaries Survives Another Legal Challenge
Nonpartisan reformers know what is coming when they propose changing the way voters elect public officials. Inevitably, those who benefit from the status quo will turn to the courts to prevent voters from having a say.
20 August, 2024
Virtual Discussion: A Super Minority Elects the Super Majority in Tennessee
Tennessee technically has open primaries in which party registration is not required to participate. However, it would be hard to tell under current state law.
19 August, 2024
US Lawmakers Tell States to Guarantee Equal Voting Rights for Independents or Lose Federal Funds
Veterans For All Voters hosted a virtual webinar Tuesday with two members of Congress that may be on opposite sides of the political aisle but are sponsors of a bill that ensures independent voters are guaranteed equal voting rights in taxpayer-funded elections.
14 August, 2024
AZ Judge: Lawmakers 'Strategically' Tried to Mislead Voters on Initiative to End Partisan Primaries
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Melissa Iyer Julian on Monday sided with reformers who claimed that Arizona lawmakers were intentionally trying to mislead voters about their initiative to end partisan primaries.
14 August, 2024
New Research: Populism A Key Factor with Cross-Partisan Support for Alaska's Top 4 Elections
New research shows that the nonpartisan Top 4 system used in Alaska not only has broad support among Republicans, Democrats, and independents, but in 2022 elected candidates in statewide elections that had appeal that went beyond their party.
12 August, 2024
Let Us Vote Spotlight: Independents Have Just as Much Stake in Primaries as Party Members
The Let Us Vote campaign released two citizen spotlight videos that focus not only on the need for primary election systems that treat independent voters equally, but why it is important in a state like South Dakota.
09 August, 2024
Arizona's Make Elections Fair Act: It's Not About Ranked Choice Voting
The Arizona Free Enterprise Club filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a ballot initiative that would require state lawmakers to adopt a primary system that allows all voters and candidates, regardless of party, to participate on a single ballot.
05 August, 2024
House Bill Introduced to Protect All Voters' Rights to Participate in Taxpayer-Funded Elections
A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill Thursday that would enshrine into law the right independent voters have to participate in all taxpayer-funded elections.
28 July, 2024
Opinion: Partisan Primaries Failed to Vet Joe Biden
This year’s Democratic Party presidential primary was a choreographed affair dubbed “Operation Bubble Wrap.” The rules were manipulated by party insiders to ensure Joe Biden would face no scrutiny and no competition. The idea that he should stay in the race because he “won the primary” is absurd. There was no primary. By design.
19 July, 2024
Independent Voters Face Abuse and Intimidation in Tennessee Primaries
Last week, I recorded a podcast interview with Gabe Hart. Gabe lives in western Tennessee and is a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging voter suppression signs that are hung at every poll site in Tennessee on primary day.
16 July, 2024
Idaho Top 4 Initiative with Ranked Choice Voting Certified for November Ballot
The Idaho secretary of state announced this week that Idahoans for Open Primaries turned in enough signatures for its ballot initiative to end the state's closed primary system.
11 July, 2024
Can A DC Campaign Bring Political Accountability and Inclusion to A One-Party Town?
It goes without saying that the District of Columbia is a one-party town. Out of the 13 seats that compose the DC City Council, 11 are held by Democrats, and the other two are held by officials registered as independent.
02 July, 2024
Virtual Discussion: Who Are Independent Voters?
By the end of 2023, the average percentage of Americans that self-identified as independent was at 43%, which tied a record high set in 2017. However, even in an election year, this percentage isn't dropping.
27 June, 2024
Poll Shows Strong Support for 'Top Two' Measure in South Dakota
A recent poll shows that 55% of South Dakota voters support Amendment H, which if approved in November will implement a nonpartisan, top-two primary in the state similar to systems used in California and Washington.
13 June, 2024
Arizona Initiative: Parties Can Either Accept Open Primaries or Pay for Them
Arizona is ground zero for a novel approach to voting reform that is not getting any attention from the national press, but could have tremendous implications for future elections and provide a fairer process for all voters -- regardless of their political affiliation.
12 June, 2024
South Dakota Voters Will Vote on 'Top Two' Primary in November
A proposed amendment to the South Dakota Constitution to require a nonpartisan primary system in which all voters and candidates participate on a single ballot has been certified for the November ballot.
24 May, 2024
Only 7% of Voters Have Returned Ballots in Oregon's Closed Primaries
Imagine being part of the largest segment of the registered voting population and being denied the right to an equal vote in elections. Well, millions of voters across the US don't have to imagine this because it is a reality for them in every election cycle.
14 May, 2024
Independent Voters Are Many Things -- A Myth Isn't One of Them
Open Primaries continued its ongoing virtual discussion series Tuesday with a conversation on independent voters, who they are, and why we have a system that actively suppresses their voices at every level of elections and government.
08 May, 2024
South Dakota Open Primaries Submits 47K Signatures to Get Nonpartisan Primary Reform on the Ballot
One week after the Idahoans for Open Primaries coalition submitted roughly 30,000 more signatures than they needed to get a nonpartisan top-four primary system on the ballot, South Dakota Open Primaries met the required number of signatures in their own state to put a top-two system before voters.
07 May, 2024
'Final Four' Primary Initiative in Idaho Set for Ballot Approval
An initiative that would ensure equal voting rights for 270,000 independent voters in Idaho is all but certain to qualify for the November ballot. The Idahoans for Open Primaries coalition exceeded 90,000 signatures for its "Final Four" elections initiative days before the May 1 deadline.
30 April, 2024
Breaking Down the Numbers: Independent Voter Suppression in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania held its primary elections Tuesday, which effectively acted as the general election in most cases. However, statewide, over a million voters had to sit on the sidelines because of the state's closed primary rules.
24 April, 2024
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
For Good or Bad, Primary Changes May Be Coming to Elections Near You
26 February, 2024
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
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
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
If The Parties Can Ignore Primary Results, Why Not Let Everyone Vote?
Over 70,000 voters cast a ballot in the Republican primary -- and none of those votes are considered "legitimate" by the GOP.
08 February, 2024