Posted by Russell Daniels on May 14, 2019 at 4:13 PM
written by Sarah Ann Hughes for Pennsylvania Capital-Star
A coalition made up of several good-government groups is trying to push a controversial piece of election reform to the top of the Legislature’s agenda: open primaries.
Read morePosted by Russell Daniels on May 14, 2019 at 4:09 PM
written by David Fidlin for The Center Square
A panel of Pennsylvania senators this week weighed in on a package of 13 bills that could result in widespread changes in how voters across the commonwealth cast ballots in the years ahead.
Read morePosted by Russell Daniels on May 14, 2019 at 4:04 PM
One of the worst pieces of legislation to ever be before the Missouri General Assembly is one that calls for closed primary elections.
Posted by Russell Daniels on May 14, 2019 at 4:04 PM
written by Elizabeth Hardison for Pennsylvania Capital-Star
Alan Novak spent eight years as the chairman of Pennsylvania’s Republican Party, trying to secure votes for GOP candidates across the state.
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Posted by Russell Daniels on May 13, 2019 at 11:50 PM
written by Matthew Redna for Courthouse News Service
There are more than 20 candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for President of the United States setting up a run against Republican Donald Trump in 2020.
As stragglers continue to throw their hat in the ring, the historically large field is solidifying.
Read morePosted by Russell Daniels on May 07, 2019 at 5:18 PM
written by Scott Powers for Florida Politics
A grassroots revolt is emerging among county Democrats in Florida as at least two county parties, in Miami-Dade and Brevard, are urging the Florida Democratic Party to open its 2020 presidential primary to independent voters.
Read morePosted by Russell Daniels on May 07, 2019 at 5:14 PM
written by Dave Berman for Florida Today
The Brevard County Democratic Executive Committee has overwhelmingly approved a resolution, urging the Florida Democratic Party to allow nonpartisan voters to cast ballots in the state's Democratic primaries, beginning in 2020.
Read morePosted by Russell Daniels on May 07, 2019 at 5:07 PM
written by David Smiley for The Miami Herald
The Miami-Dade Democratic Party wants independent voters to help select Democratic nominees for governor and Congress, and will push to completely change the way the state party holds primary elections.
Read morePosted by Russell Daniels on April 16, 2019 at 2:08 PM
The Democratic presidential candidate field is very crowed and, so far, includes Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, Kirsten Gillibrand and Amy Klobuchar. Governors Jay Inslee, former Congressman John Delaney, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and a few mayors, including South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro. Former elected official Beto O'Rourke is running and former Vice President Joe Biden is allegedly considering. It seems like a new presidential candidate is announced every three days and it doesn't seem like it will slow down. The latest, by my count, is Governor John Hickenlooper of Colorado.
Despite their numbers and diversity, none of these candidates are focusing on the political reality that more and more voters are rejecting party labels. 2020 will see a fiercely competitive primary election season, yet tens of millions of independent voters will be disenfranchised. The Democratic Party has a golden opportunity to bring independents — now the largest group of voters in the country — into the conversation and into their vision for the future, but they are squandering it.
Read morePosted by Russell Daniels on April 16, 2019 at 1:58 PM
By all accounts New Mexico would seem to be a strong candidate for reform of their primary elections. At least that’s what we thought when we started working with local activists to build support there three years ago.
One of only nine states with completely closed primaries, New Mexico has seen rapid growth in the number of registered independent voters. In 2000, 15% of voters were not registered with either major party. Today, that number is 25% or approximately 300,000 people.
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