Open Primaries Were Just the Beginning -- Now New Mexico Needs A New Party to Keep Moving Forward

Welcome to New Mexico sign.
Photo by Jeffrey Keenan on Unsplash
Bob PerlsBob Perls
Published: 06 May, 2025
4 min read

Editor's Note: This piece originally published on Source NM and has been republished on IVN by request and with permission from the author. 

 

Alaska U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski is one of the few Republicans standing up to President Trump and expressing fear that key strategic alliances, our democracy, civil liberties and the rule of law are being under-mind. She also was one of the few Republicans to vote to impeach him.

What makes her different? What allows her to feel free to make those statements and take that action that are nearly unheard of right now within the Republican MAGA party? It is the structure within which she was elected.

Alaska has non-partisan primaries that allow all voters to vote for all candidates. Primaries are no longer controlled by the parties. Then the top four vote getters go to the general election where ranked choice voting is used.

She can move through the primary without fear of being “primaried” in a race in which only the party base, the most MAGA, can vote. Rather, she is incentivized to reach out to all voters, and the majority of voters want her to be independent and vote her conscience, not tow the party line. This is what democracy reform at all levels is about: Creating a representative government that works for all of us all the time.

This is the opposite of what Wyoming has, which is a closed primary system. Remember how brave Congresswoman Liz Chaney was to buck her party and vote to impeach President Trump because he incited the Capitol riots through his election denialism? Well, she lost her Republican primary election in Wyoming by a huge margin because only Republicans could vote.

But, so what? Why is that important today here in New Mexico?

The New Mexico Legislature recently passed SB16, which allows independent voters to choose one major party ballot. This is one small step toward that ideal where all voters can vote for all candidates. I spent 10 years as founder and president of NM Open Elections working on its passage.

IVP Donate

ALSO READ: It's Official: New Mexico Has Opened Its Primaries to Independent Voters

It will set up a situation in which partisan candidates have to reach out to independent voters who will not have the same feelings about party discipline as the party base, and I mean with both the Republicans and the Democrats. It means candidates and incumbents alike will have to do a better job of spreading their message and listening to a broader cross section of the voting public. And it means there is a better chance that incumbents can vote their conscience, rather than bending to a party line that they may or may not agree with all the time. And the outcome of this freedom will be better policies representing a broader cross section of voters.

I know that we are years away from being able to pass the next steps in democracy reform here in New Mexico, but we have taken the first step by ending our closed primary system. But make no mistake there have to be next steps.

Step one: Educate independents that they can vote in the 2026 primary and make sure large majorities do.  Let’s prove the pundits wrong and show that independent voters will come out to vote when given the chance.

Step two: Support candidates who will prioritize reaching out to those independent voters and teach them how to communicate with these non-aligned voters.

Step three: Plan for the next steps in reform including finally passing an independent redistricting commission, paying our Legislature, placing term limits on our Legislature to match the term limits we have on nearly every other office and moving to a truly open primary system in which all voters can vote for all candidates in first round public elections.

To be sure, Democrats supported SB16 in greater numbers than Republicans and I deeply appreciate that. But Democrats oppose nearly every reform in step three above as do Republicans. The other states that have adopted these reforms, and there are many, all have legislative by-pass through ballot initiate where a voter can gather signatures and place an issue on the ballot. We don’t have that here.

Unfortunately, both major parties play politics with the law to game the system. When President Biden declined to seek re-election, why did the Democratic Party refuse to hold a primary or even an open convention so that many candidates could be heard and vetted?

Let Us Vote : Sign Now!

It’s time for a party to put voters first and that is why I am now working with others to found the New Mexico Forward Party. We support all the democracy reform issues listed above and will be running candidates in 2026 for the State House of Representatives against those law makers who voted against open primaries. Stay tuned.

You Might Also Like

SQ836 supporters
Oklahoma GOP Fails To Block Open Primaries Initiative from Going Before Voters
The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously rejected a challenge to a proposed ballot initiative that would open taxpayer-funded primary elections to all candidates and voters, regardless of party affiliation – paving the way for the signature petition process to begin....
17 Sep, 2025
-
4 min read
Supreme Court of the United States
Forward Party Joins Petition to SCOTUS Against State of Florida
Right now, the divide between the Republican and Democratic Parties appears beyond repair. The political rhetoric is toxic, the nation’s leadership puts party gain before lasting solutions, and few voters actually feel heard by the people elected to represent them. At a time when it seems things will only get worse from here, the Independent Voter Project filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court along with Open Primaries and the Forward Party in support of a lawsuit that targets one of the biggest culprits behind all of this....
16 Sep, 2025
-
3 min read
Person placing vote in ballot box.
Vote Nevada Targets Gerrymandering and Closed Primaries with Two New Ballot Measures
Vote Nevada PAC filed two constitutional amendment initiatives Tuesday aimed at transforming how Nevadans vote – and how maps are drawn. The group argues that its proposals will ensure a redistricting process free of corruption while guaranteeing all voters equal access to the ballot....
11 Sep, 2025
-
6 min read
Ethan Penner
Could This Well-Funded Independent Upend the CA Governor’s Race?
Ethan Penner, a Calabasas businessman, author, and educator with a storied career in real estate finance, has officially announced his intention to run for California governor in 2026 as an independent. On his campaign website, Penner says he is running to “disrupt the failing two-party system.” ...
12 Sep, 2025
-
5 min read
Supreme Court of the United States
Forward Party Joins Petition to SCOTUS Against State of Florida
Right now, the divide between the Republican and Democratic Parties appears beyond repair. The political rhetoric is toxic, the nation’s leadership puts party gain before lasting solutions, and few voters actually feel heard by the people elected to represent them. At a time when it seems things will only get worse from here, the Independent Voter Project filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court along with Open Primaries and the Forward Party in support of a lawsuit that targets one of the biggest culprits behind all of this....
16 Sep, 2025
-
3 min read
congress flag
Poll: 82% of Americans Want Redistricting Done by Independent Commission, Not Politicians
There may be no greater indication that voters are not being listened to in the escalating redistricting war between the Republican and Democratic Parties than a new poll from NBC News that shows 8-in-10 Americans want the parties to stop....
10 Sep, 2025
-
3 min read