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Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt sat down with former RNC chair and MSNBC commentator Michael Steele to talk about the difference between the partisan politics in DC versus the more pragmatic outcomes at the local level.

This was a big year for the open primaries movement. Seven state-level campaigns and one municipal. Millions of voters declaring their support for open primaries. New leaders emerging across the country. Primary elections for the first time at the center of the national reform debate.

In 2024, a historic number of statewide initiatives appeared on the ballot to open primary elections to all voters and candidates. Most of the initiatives failed, but reformers were successful in Washington DC. 

Nonpartisan election reformers have chosen not to hang their head in defeat after a few statewide losses in 2024. Instead, their mood was surprisingly optimistic when they met in San Diego for the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers’ annual summit.

Ranked choice voting is making inroads in Virginia. First, it was adopted and used in Arlington County. Then, the Charlottesville City Council approved its use. Next door, Washington DC voters overwhelmingly said "Yes" to the reform in 2024.

Former and future President Donald Trump's decisive 2024 win with 312 electors (to Harris’ 226) and 50.1% of the votes nationwide (to Harris' 48.3%) was a resounding victory. 

In October 2012, I published an op-ed in the Huffington Post asking, “Do Presidential Elections Really Matter?” In May 2023 I wrote a similar column in The Fulcrum asking the question once again.

Voters across the US had a chance to change the political landscape in the country forever. In 2024, however, the two major parties were mostly successful at stopping reform to the electoral status quo.

The first victory for election reform Tuesday happened in Washington, DC, where voters passed Initiative 83 to open primaries to independent voters and implement ranked choice voting.

Nonpartisan election reform is on the ballot in 7 states, 6 of which could implement new voting models that open taxpayer-funded elections to all voters and candidates, regardless of party.