A bill before the state Legislature that would allow unenrolled voters to vote in party primaries has gained the backing of former U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, a Republican.
>@RussJDaniels
Russell Daniels
published Wyoming lawmakers to consider changes to statewide elections in Open Primaries in the News
2021-06-10 06:34:40 -0400
-
Russell Daniels
published Open primaries bill clears both Maine House and Senate in Open Primaries in the News
2021-06-09 15:43:45 -0400
-
Russell Daniels
published Open primaries for all in Open Primaries in the News
2021-06-08 17:48:29 -0400
-
Russell Daniels
published End closed primaries in Open Primaries in the News
2021-06-08 17:42:54 -0400
-
Russell Daniels
published Voting rights alone will not save us in Open Primaries in the News
2021-06-08 13:24:33 -0400
-
Russell Daniels
published Partisan vs nonpartisan elections is a false choice for Annapolis in Open Primaries in the News
2021-06-08 13:15:42 -0400
-
Russell Daniels
published Semi-open primaries can help engage more voters in Open Primaries in the News
2021-06-04 08:51:30 -0400
-
Russell Daniels
published Bill to open primaries in Maine gains support from Olympia Snowe in Open Primaries in the News
2021-06-01 17:18:23 -0400
-
Russell Daniels
published Former Senator Olympia Snowe endorses Semi Open Primaries Bill in Maine in Press Releases
2021-06-01 13:34:08 -0400
-
Russell Daniels
published Partisan primaries deepen the political divide in Open Primaries in the News
2021-06-01 11:20:24 -0400
-
Russell Daniels
published PA LWV: End the closed primary in PA in Open Primaries in the News
2021-06-01 10:39:01 -0400
-
Russell Daniels
published The Washington Post: Want to help resolve American political dysfunction? Allow open primary elections in Open Primaries in the News
2021-06-01 00:02:16 -0400
-
Russell Daniels
published Laughlin, a potential gubernatorial candidate, said independents deserve voice in primaries in Open Primaries in the News
2021-05-23 21:08:52 -0400
-
Russell Daniels
published Take action to avoid another disastrous legislative session in Open Primaries in the News
2021-05-23 20:59:29 -0400
-
Russell Daniels
published Pennsylvania could finally have open primaries for independent voters in Open Primaries in the News
2021-05-19 10:34:23 -0400
-
Russell Daniels
published Why do we keep voting for these yo-yos? Arizona needs election reform now in Open Primaries in the News
2021-05-16 21:32:18 -0400
-
Russell Daniels
published Should Philadelphia have open primary elections? in Open Primaries in the News
2021-05-14 12:01:37 -0400
-
Russell Daniels
published Florida lawmakers limit donations to amendment drives, but not their own committees in Open Primaries in the News
2021-05-14 11:19:21 -0400
-
Russell Daniels
published Independent inclusion in Open Primaries in the News
2021-05-14 10:14:38 -0400
Wyoming lawmakers to consider changes to statewide elections
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — A legislative committee in Wyoming has voted to pursue legislation that would significantly change the way statewide elections are run as early as next year, including a bill that would create a rank-choice system and another bill that would institute an open primary.
Open primaries bill clears both Maine House and Senate
written by Kevin Miller for the Press Herald
The House voted 92-52 to support allowing an unenrolled voter to cast a ballot in a primary election without having to register in that party.
Open primaries for all
written by Kevin Frazier for Statesman Journal
No national institution is perceived as honest by more than 2 in 10 Americans, as reported by More in Common via their Two Stories of Distrust in America report.
That lack of honesty is tied to a lack of trust. And, that lack of trust applies to our neighbors and our elected officials. For the average American, daily life requires being on guard: more than 6 in 10 Americans say “you can’t be too careful in dealing with people.” And, for most Americans, their relationship with their representative feels combative more so than collaborative: around 7 in 10 Americans feel like politicians view them as “problems to be solved” rather than “constituents to be served.”
End closed primaries
written by the Editorial Board for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
The Pennsylvania primary election is in the rearview mirror. It’s time now to look ahead to a structural change that will bring an end to a closed primary election system that disenfranchises prospective voters who are not members of the country’s two major parties.
Pennsylvania is among a handful of states that practice closed primaries, meaning that only Democrats and Republicans can cast ballots in the spring contest for candidates seeking major-party endorsement.
Voting rights alone will not save us
written by Sandra Cosgrove for the Nevada Current
Much has been said and written about voting rights this last year and for good reasons. Vote Nevada, a nonprofit founded by Nevadans for Nevadans, will be contributing to this dialogue over the summer with events focused on our full suite of democracy rights, such as the right to fair representation and the right to engage in direct democracy. Because voting rights do not exist in a vacuum, protecting voting rights alone is insufficient to save our democracy; we must also ensure voters have the right to vote for fair representation through a diverse range of candidates, and to engage in governing activities without frivolous litigation.
Partisan vs nonpartisan elections is a false choice for Annapolis
written by JH Snider for Capital Gazette
There has recently been much debate in The Capital’s opinion pages and at Annapolis’ Charter Review Commission on the comparative merits of partisan vs. nonpartisan elections for city offices. But this is a false choice because there are better ways to combine the benefits of both partisan and nonpartisan elections while creating a more competitive electoral system.
Semi-open primaries can help engage more voters
The editorial board at the Bangor Daily News
We admit that we are traditionalists when it comes to election procedures. As a result, we’ve essentially defended the status quo when it comes to how elections are conducted.
But, as primaries have become more partisan at the same time that a significant number of voters, especially young voters, are choosing not to enroll in political parties, we find the arguments for more open primaries to be increasingly persuasive.
Bill to open primaries in Maine gains support from Olympia Snowe
Former Senator Olympia Snowe endorses Semi Open Primaries Bill in Maine
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 1, 2021
Contact:
Kaitlin LaCasse
Open Primaries Maine
207-730-2779
Partisan primaries deepen the political divide
Opinion from Nelson Easterling in the Tallahassee Democrat
Think about this: There are millions of your fellow citizens who despise you and see you as a threat to themselves and to this nation. They do not know you, have never met you, but they still loathe you.
All they need to know is your partisan political preference.
PA LWV: End the closed primary in PA
written by Terrie Griffin for GoErie.com
In the Pennsylvania primary election on May 18, almost 1.3 million voters were not allowed a say in choosing candidates for our highest courts, mayor of one of our largest cities, and many municipal elections that will affect our daily lives.
Want to help resolve American political dysfunction? Allow open primary elections
Laughlin, a potential gubernatorial candidate, said independents deserve voice in primaries
written by Matthew Rink for Go Erie
As voters head to the polls Tuesday, state Sen. Dan Laughlin, a prospective Republican gubernatorial candidate, will reintroduce legislation that would allow independents to weigh in on partisan nominating contests.
Take action to avoid another disastrous legislative session
The legislative session seems to be over for now, but it’s hard to breathe a sigh of relief.
The work legislators did — and didn’t do — has kept us mid-exhale, especially because it could easily start again. That decision to adjourn without an official end to the session exemplifies the theme of this year’s session: fear.
Pennsylvania could finally have open primaries for independent voters
written by Harrison Cann for City & State Pennsylvania
As voters cast their ballots in the primary election on Tuesday, state Sen. Dan Laughlin introduced a bill to open future primaries to all unaffiliated voters.
Why do we keep voting for these yo-yos? Arizona needs election reform now
written by Robert Robb for the Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republican Party has election validity problems of its own. The results of the election of state officers at the January state meeting have been disputed. Skeptics circulated a petition calling for a redo. Party officials, chosen by virtue of the election being disputed, said that an insufficient number of signatures had been collected. Skeptics went to court, asking a judge to decide otherwise and order that another election meeting be held.
Should Philadelphia have open primary elections?
written by Daniel Pearson (PRO) & Abraham Gutman (CON) for the Philadelphia Inquirer
Pennsylvania’s next primary election is Tuesday, May 18, with statewide judicial and Philadelphia district attorney candidates on the ballot. Our state is one of just nine with closed primaries, meaning only registered Democrats and Republicans can weigh in on their respective partisan races, and independents just get a say on the ballot questions. State Rep. Chris Quinn (R., Delaware County) has introduced legislation to open primaries to the nearly 900,000 independent and nonpartisan voters in the state, but that wouldn’t open primaries for those already registered to a party.
Florida lawmakers limit donations to amendment drives, but not their own committees
written by Scott Maxwell for the Orlando Sentinel
Florida lawmakers say they’re sick of big money corrupting politics. So they passed a law that makes it a crime for anyone to give more than $3,000 to a political committee. Except not all political committees. Just the ones working to get issues like smaller class sizes or a higher minimum wage on Florida ballots. Lawmakers’ own political committees can still accept unlimited cash.
Independent inclusion
written by Leslie Harlow for the Mt. Desert Islander
To the Editor:
As a 50-year active Democrat in Hancock County and chair of the Ellsworth Democratic Committee, I am writing in enthusiastic support of LD 231, the semi-open primaries bill co-sponsored by Ellsworth Representative Nicole Grohoski.
An Invitation from Danny Ortega
Sign up if you're interested in joining a new national nonpartisan working group dedicated to ending the biggest form of voter suppression impacting the Latino community: closed partisan primaries.
Our first call Thursday June 17th at 3pm EST