Oregon's Largest Voting Group is Barred from Taxpayer-Funded Elections

image
Shawn GriffithsShawn Griffiths
Published: 28 Mar, 2022
3 min read

Voters registered as “Non-Affiliated” in Oregon now outnumber registered Republicans and Democrats, according to the latest voter registration data. Yet, despite being the largest voting group, these voters are denied access to critical taxpayer-funded primary elections.

The latest voter registration data in Oregon shows voters registered “Non-Affiliated” just barely outnumber registered Democrats by nearly 3,000 voters. It may not seem like a huge separation, but these voters also make up over a third (34.46%) of the registered voting population.

According to the registration breakdown, independent voters are the largest voting group in 18 out of 36 counties, including rural and urban jurisdictions. 

The Republican and Democratic Parties like to point to the use of automatic voter registration (AVR) to explain the surge in “Non-Affiliated” voters. A voter is registered “Non-Affiliated” if they do not specifically declare a party affiliation when being registered to vote.

However, this ignores the significant drop in voters registered with the parties in a short period of time. The number of “Non-Affiliated” voters has grown by nearly 82,000 voters since the 2020 general election. The number of voters registered with either major party dropped by just over 64,300 over the same time period.

Why are these numbers important? Despite the sharp increase in voters choosing to register outside the major parties, the state maintains a primary election system that is explicitly designed to serve the private interests of those parties and their members -- and no one else.

“Non-Affiliated” and minor-party voters are barred from participating in publicly-funded primary elections, as are minor-party candidates. Oregon’s closed primary system restricts access to only members of the Republican and Democratic Parties.

In other words, instead of allowing all voters an opportunity to decide which candidates end up on the general election ballot, the parties make that decision for the electorate even though neither party represents a plurality of registered voters anymore. Further, there is no telling how many voters are registered with the parties just so they can participate in primary elections.

“These data [points] should be a wake-up call to voters and legislators across the state. It is unconscionable that over 34 percent of the electorate is barred from voting in publicly funded primary elections,” said Ed Doyle, president of Oregon Open Primaries.

IVP Donate

“It is high-time Oregon modernizes its primary system to allow all registered voters to vote and all qualified candidates to compete. Gone should be the days of partisan limits on who can participate in our elections.”

Oregon Open Primaries has offered a ballot initiative that would enshrine the right of all voters and candidates, regardless of party affiliation or lack thereof, to participate in primary elections into the state constitution. The proposal does not require a specific primary reform, but would force the legislature to implement a new system that guarantees fair and equal access.

The ballot measure has cleared the initial sponsorship signature stage and has been given a draft ballot title by the Oregon Department of Justice. A 10-day public comment period on the draft title is underway, after which Oregon Open Primaries can start collecting signatures to place the initiative on the 2022 general election ballot.

Oregon Open Primaries will need over 150,000 signatures to certify their initiative. The group is optimistic they will have the support needed to get it across the finish line.

In this article

You Might Also Like

Joe Manchin
Joe Manchin on Taxpayer-Funded Primaries: 'They're Locking Us Out!'
While appearing on CNN host Michael Smerconish’s show, former Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, now a registered independent, told Smerconish that “we have to have open primaries” in order to get candidates who prioritize representation to run and have a chance to win....
17 Oct, 2025
-
2 min read
let us vote SCOTUS
The Constitutionality of Closed Primaries Is One Big Step Closer to the Supreme Court
This week the Supreme Court denied cert in the case of ; a case challenging Florida’s closed primary...
15 Oct, 2025
-
3 min read
broken california map
EXCLUSIVE: California Commissioner Says Lawmakers Gutted Their Funding BEFORE Prop 50
The fate of California’s independently drawn congressional districts will be decided on November 4, when voters weigh in on a legislative gerrymander and the suspension of congressional maps from the state's independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC) under Proposition 50....
08 Oct, 2025
-
8 min read
fl-let-us-vote
Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Opening Florida’s Primaries to 3.4M Independent Voters
A new statewide poll finds near-unanimous agreement among both Democratic and independent voters that Florida’s primaries should be opened to the state’s 3.4 million “No Party Affiliation” (NPA) voters who are currently shut out of taxpayer-funded elections....
10 Oct, 2025
-
3 min read
Proposition 50 voter guide
California Prop 50: Partisan Power Play or Necessary Counterpunch?
November 4 marks a special election for what has become the most controversial ballot measure in California in recent memory: Proposition 50, which would circumvent congressional districts drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission for a legislative-drawn map....
01 Oct, 2025
-
9 min read