Newsletter
Posted by jesse shayne on July 01, 2016 at 11:01 AM
Hotlist, Volume 2
National Campaign Update: Our petition calling on the Democratic and Republican parties to reform their primary rules and adopt open presidential primaries at the conventions next month now has over 30,000 signatures.
This weekend we are staging an Independence Day Weekend petition push across the country. Celebrate our country's independence by helping us regain control of our political system. You can find local petition canvassing events here and create your own events in your community. Here is a link to our petition that you can print out and secure signatures on, and here you will find any other volunteer tools that you might need. Thanks for your support!
State Roundup: The South Dakota Vote Yes on V team just launched a new website and continues to expand their leadership committee. They have assembled a “dream team” of Democrats, Republicans and independents who have joined forces to empower the voters. Please take a few minutes and familiarize yourself with the new website.
Business leaders and grassroots activists gathered in Denver, Colorado on Monday to launch the Let Colorado Vote campaign. Petitioning efforts are underway to place two measures on the Colorado ballot this fall. The first would allow all independent voters to participate in state and federal primaries. The second would establish a presidential primary and make it open to all voters. Open Primaries outreach coordinator Adriana Espinoza attended the event and will be leading efforts to mobilize our supporter base to build this important campaign. If you would like to get involved in the Colorado campaign, please send an email to aespinoza@openprimaries.org.
(Supporters of open primaries gathered in Denver on Monday)
In Florida, The All Voters Vote movement received a strong boost from the Tallahassee Democrat, which penned an article outlining the pressing need for primary reform in the Sunshine State. It’s a great piece – please share it (and take note of the fact that people are beginning to notice that the voters in California greatly approve of their state legislature now that its members are elected in nonpartisan elections. Very interesting!)
The Movement Grows: The open primaries movement is fueled by the creative coming together of insiders who want government to work again and outsiders who seek voter empowerment. Here’s a look at some of the insiders who stepped up this week to support our cause.
- Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard -- who stepped down as vice chair of the DNC earlier this year because she was morally conflicted with how the political establishment operates -- openly endorsed open primaries.
- Former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner signed our petition for open primaries.
- New York congressional candidate Jonathan Clarke called for open primaries. As did Nebraska State Senator Adam Morfeld. (Reminder: Nebraska has an open primary system and the least polarized and one of the most effective legislatures in the country!)
- Former Maine State Senator Jill Goldthwait penned an op-ed in support of open primaries.
To Share: One of our volunteers made this impassioned video:
In Case You Missed It
- Governor Schwarzenegger op-ed in support of open primaries.
- NORC poll indicating that 70% of Americans support open primaries.