Jeremy Gruber
West Virginia closed its Republican primary for the first time in nearly three decades.
More than 21,000 West Virginians chose a “no party” ballot in May — a staggering 74% increase from 2022. At the same time, Republican ballots fell 22%, even as Republican registration continued to grow.
That’s not a ripple. That’s a revolt.
The lesson from West Virginia’s experiment is brutally simple: when you slam the door on independent voters, they don’t magically become Republicans. They don’t disappear. They show up — and they find the biggest election they’re still allowed to participate in.
And in West Virginia, that meant statewide judicial races. Independents joined Democrats to reject several of Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s Supreme Court picks.
The state’s own data shows just how many voters were pushed to the sidelines. 25.2% of registered West Virginians were unaffiliated heading into the primary — roughly 302,000 people.
West Virginia wanted to know what happens when you close the primary door.
Now we know.
The independents don’t go away.
They just stop playing by the parties’ rules.
What We're Talking About
We Changed the Conversation
For years, Open Primaries has been making the case that millions of independent voters are being shut out of the elections that decide who represents them.
In 2026, that message broke through.
This spring, we made a major investment in media—and the results have been extraordinary. Across national, regional and local outlets, independent voters and primary reform became a story in their own right.
From CNN, NBC, CBS and NPR to The Washington Post, The Atlantic, USA Today and PBS, primary reform reached audiences far beyond the traditional world of election reform. And our campaigns in states and cities across the country generated sustained local coverage that brought the national conversation back home.
But the biggest change wasn't the amount of coverage.
It was the conversation.
Primary rules are no longer just an obscure election-law issue. They are increasingly part of a much bigger debate about independent voters, political representation and the future of American democracy.
We didn't just get more media. We helped change what the media—and the country—is talking about.
And we're just getting started.
What We're Watching
The Independent-Turned-Democrat Leading Iowa’s Governor’s Race Has a Big Promise
Rob Sand is now the Democratic nominee for governor of Iowa. But he started out as an independent—and he’s making independent voters a central part of his campaign.
And right now, he’s ahead in the polls.
Cara Brown McCormick
The latest Emerson College poll has Sand leading Republican Zach Lahn 49% to 46%. Other recent polls have also put Sand ahead.
His pitch to Iowa’s hundreds of thousands of independent voters is remarkably simple: end the closed primaries and let them vote.
Sand wants to replace Iowa’s party primaries with what he calls a “people’s primary,” where every eligible voter can participate regardless of party affiliation. His proposal would put all candidates on one primary ballot, with the top four advancing to the general election.
For an independent-turned-Democrat, the message is striking: Sand isn't asking independents to join the Democratic Party. He's promising to change a system that shuts them out.
Sand has put the issue bluntly: “Why do we make independent voters less equal?”
That is a pretty extraordinary question to hear from a Democratic gubernatorial nominee.
But it may also be the most important question on the Iowa ballot this year.
Watch Open Primaries President John Opdycke as he interviews Sand on The Primary Buzz.
What Are Independents Talking About?
Chris Jerome, independent activist from Arizona, is the host and creator of The Radical Independent, a YouTube channel that advocates for socio-cultural changes and election reforms to fix a broken system.
He recently sat down with independents Steve O’Hara from Florida; Tanya Hutchins from DC; Mark Ewoldt from Colorado and Tom Graf from Pennsylvania. They had a far-reaching conversation about their experiences and perspectives on being independent voters, the problem with the primaries, the political party control over the electoral process, and more.
This is the second installment of Chris’ series, “Why are you an independent?”. You can follow along on his YouTube channel.
Independents Speak Out
Dr. Jessie Fields, Harlem physician and longtime activist, sat down with Bree Doldron at Harlem Week last month and shared her thoughts on being independent and the need for full voting rights.
Heather Miller, a design and brand strategist from Chicago recently found the Open Primaries movement through a conversation with one of our volunteers, Kate Henselmans. Kate is a regular volunteer with our Independent Phone Operation and invited Heather to attend the Power Hour. Heather sent us a video about why she is an independent.
We want to hear your thoughts! Send us a video on why you’re an independent. You can send it to Bree Doldron, our National Organizer at bdoldron@openprimaries.org.
Did You Know?
ARIZONA SOS ADRIAN FONTES HAS BEEN A LONGTIME SUPPORTER OF INDEPENDENT VOTERS AND OPEN PRIMARIES
What We're Listening To
Firewall Podcast: John Opdycke insists that “independents are voters who insist there has to be a better way!”
Open Primaries President John Opdycke joins Bradley Tusk, host of the Firewall Podcast, to make the case that America’s founders warned us about the power of political parties—and that today, 41% of Americans identify as independent while closed primaries lock them out of the elections that actually decide who governs. Opdycke discusses the impact of nonpartisan primaries in California, Open Primaries’ legal fight against closed primaries, and why the battle over primary reform is ultimately about power, not ideology.
Louisville Public Media — Jeremy Gruber on Kentucky’s Independent Voters
I join Louisville Public Media to discuss Kentucky’s surge in independent voters and the growing push to open the state’s closed primaries. Independents grew faster than Democrats and Republicans combined in July, but remain shut out of the taxpayer-funded primaries that increasingly determine who governs.
In Case You Missed It
Open Primaries is thrilled to congratulate Lisa Rice on receiving the Excellence in Advocacy Award!
Lisa is the stalwart leader of the successful campaign for open primaries in Washington, D.C., founder of Grow Democracy DC, and a national spokesperson for the open primaries movement.
Her leadership, persistence, and commitment to giving every voter a voice have helped put open primaries firmly on the national reform agenda.
Congratulations, Lisa! This honor is richly deserved.
Campaign Updates
MISSOURI POLITICIANS TRIED TO STOP THE VOTE. THE COURT SAID NO. TWICE.
Twice in one day, Missouri’s Supreme Court sent the same message to state officials: you don’t get to decide whether voters get a say.
Shawn Griffiths
The court unanimously cleared the way for a referendum allowing Missouri voters to decide whether to reject the legislature’s new congressional map. It also ordered an initiative strengthening Missouri’s citizen initiative process onto the ballot.
The cases involve different issues, but the principle is the same: Missouri’s constitution gives citizens direct power—and politicians can’t simply take it away when they don’t like how that power is being used.
This November, Missouri voters will get the last word.
Want to get involved? Join the Respect Missouri Voters Coalition.
Activities and Events
Is This The Year Independents Break Through? A Conversation with Joe Manchin and Adam Brandon
Hosted by Open Primaries President John Opdycke. Wednesday, September 30 | 2:00 PM EDT | Virtual
Independent voters are the largest force in American politics. But when it comes to who holds power in Washington, Republicans and Democrats still have a near-total monopoly.
Could 2026 be the year that begins to change?
Join Open Primaries President John Opdycke for a timely conversation with former U.S. Senator Joe Manchin and Adam Brandon, senior adviser to the Independent Center and former president of FreedomWorks, about their ambitious new effort to elect independent candidates to Congress while challenging the two-party system from the outside.
Their goal is to build the infrastructure independent candidates have long lacked and prove that candidates can run and win without a D or R next to their name.
The stakes go beyond electing a handful of candidates. Their effort raises a much bigger question: Why should two private political parties have so much control over who gets elected, how Congress operates and whether independent voices have a seat at the table?
With closely divided chambers, growing dissatisfaction with the two-party system and millions of Americans identifying as independents, even a small number of truly independent members of Congress could have an outsized impact potentially influencing congressional leadership, committee rules and how Washington does business.
Can independents finally translate their numbers into political power? Can candidates compete without the machinery of the two major parties? And could 2026 be the beginning of a fundamentally different kind of Congress?