It’s time for Pennsylvania to open its primaries
Let无毛视频檚 say you无毛视频檙e a voter in Pennsylvania and you like the cut of David McCormick无毛视频檚 jib, or you believe that John Fetterman would be a breath of fresh air in the U.S. Senate.
The problem, though, is that if you are one of the growing number of voters in Pennsylvania not affiliated with either of the two major political parties, you will not be able to cast a ballot in the primary election coming up on May 17. The commonwealth is just one of nine states in the country that has closed primaries. This means that nearly 1.3 million registered voters, a full 15% of the 8.7 million adults who are on the voter rolls, are going to have to sit on the sidelines in two weeks as candidates are chosen to be Pennsylvania无毛视频檚 next U.S. senator and governor, along with congressional candidates and a whole array of legislative seats.
In communities where one party is dominant, the primary can be the most competitive race, with the fall general election little more than a formality. And, as we saw last year, ballot referendums can end up on the primary ballot, shutting out independent voters from decisions on amendments to the state constitution and other questions.
Is it fair that unaffiliated voters 无毛视频� the fastest-growing bloc of voters in the state 无毛视频� should be left out of the process? We don无毛视频檛 think so. At a moment when voting rights are under increasing threat, it无毛视频檚 time Pennsylvania opened its primaries and let all registered voters cast ballots.
Legislation that would make that happen has advanced in Harrisburg before, but has never quite made it over the finish line. The news site Spotlight PA reported this week that a group calling itself Ballot PA, a coalition that includes the League of Women Voters and Common Cause PA, is pushing to end closed primaries, which have been the rule in the state since 1937.
David Thornburgh, executive director of Ballot PA and the son of the late Gov. Richard Thornburgh 无毛视频� the kind of moderate, level-headed leader many look back on with nostalgia 无毛视频� told Spotlight PA, 无毛视频淭he primary election really is often the only election 无毛视频� so if you don无毛视频檛 get to vote in the primary, you basically don无毛视频檛 have a vote. It无毛视频檚 hard to find a better example of taxation without representation.无毛视频�
In a time of intense polarization, advocates believe opening primaries would allow for more middle-of-the-road candidates to come to the fore, since they would have to appeal to a larger slice of the electorate than the partisans that turn out for primaries.
Thornburgh said, 无毛视频淚t shouldn无毛视频檛 be a surprise that the people who get elected in those elections are themselves, in fact, representing the extremes of both parties. To my mind, allowing 1.1 million less-partisan voters to participate in those elections broadens the base, increases competition for votes, and forces candidates to speak to a broader cross-section of the electorate.无毛视频�
Opening our primaries won无毛视频檛 be a silver bullet that will bring peace to our rancorous politics, both in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C. But it would certainly help nudge us in a better direction.