It’s official! South Dakota Open Primaries’ top two nonpartisan primary initiative has been certified by the South Dakota Secretary of State this week and will be on the November 2024 ballot. As campaign leader De Knudson declared: 

“Open primaries help hold politicians accountable, making sure they aren’t just  handpicked in low-turnout partisan primaries. That’s why Republicans, Democrats, and  independents from across the state collected the signatures to stand up to the political  establishment, and make sure that all South Dakota voices are heard clearly.”   

If the measure passes, 150,000 South Dakotans would finally have full and equal voting rights in South Dakota. 

Big congrats to the entire  SD Open Primaries team–we’re thrilled that this campaign has made it to the ballot and we’ll be doing everything we can to help take it across the finish line! 

NEW YORK: 5 Buffalo voters have challenged New York’s independent nominating deadline in court. NY has the third earliest deadline in the country and the law currently cuts off the opportunity for independent candidates to get in the race 28 days before the primary. This is another example of independent voters and candidates being treated like second class citizens. 

KENTUCKY: KY’s Secretary of State Michael Adams has come out in support of open primaries. Kentucky’s currently in the minority of states that have fully closed primaries. Adams recently went on record saying: “I do think it’s inevitable that we’re going to have open primaries. I think it’s just a matter of time.” He emphasized that the state has to stop “disenfranchising 10% of our voters and tell them they can’t vote.”

TEXAS: The Republican Party of Texas is making moves to close the primaries. The Party’s Rules Committee passed a closed primary rule in a 26-4 vote this week and this weekend the full caucus is meeting to decide on next steps.  Texas currently has nonpartisan voter registration, so it’s not clear how they plan on implementing the decision without an act of the state legislature. Either way–we’re monitoring the situation and will keep you in the loop. 

NEVADA: A panel in Las Vegas, Nevada recently debated Question 3 on the ballot–the open primaries/ranked choice voting initiative that passed in 2022 and must pass again in 2024.  OP Spokesperson and Vote Nevada founder Sondra Cosgrove advocated on behalf of the measure saying: "For me, I want to have more choices when I vote in an election. I want to have less negative campaigning and I want some assurance that the people who get elected can work together and get things done."

WASHINGTON DC: The Washington Post covered this week the Make All Votes Count DC campaign to reform DC’s elections and open them up to every voter. Collecting signatures to get initiative 83 on the ballot continues–the group hopes to get 30,000 signatures. Reminder: opening DC’s primaries would enfranchise 17% of DC voters currently shut out of primaries!

This week Let Us Vote highlights a young independent voter from New Mexico, Thien-Nam Dinh, who explains why his voting rights come with strings - strings that force him to publicly call himself something he’s not: 

"When I go to the polls to exercise this almost sacred right [to vote] and the first thing I have to do is, 'Oh, by the way, can you just lie a little bit about what you stand for, just so we can make this count?' There's something that seems really off about that, right?"

Watch the full video here:

Dinh isn't alone:

• As of 2022, there are 161.4 million registered voters in the United States,
• According to Gallup, 43% of Americans identify as independent voters.
• But only 28% actually are registered independent voters.

But the number of people who see themselves as independents who are actually registered with a party - is what we're after. And it's huge: 24,210,000 million Americans. 

So we're compelled - by the millions - to lie about who we are, just so we can participate in that most important, sacred and universally-promised ritual as citizens: voting.

If you’re an independent voter, join the Let Us Vote community and share your story today!

Join our next Primary Buzz Discussion: Don’t Explain. Listen: A Conversation w/ Frank Barry

Frank Barry is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and member of the editorial board covering national affairs. He served as chief speechwriter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg during the 2020 presidential campaign and in New York's City Hall, where he also helped lead a variety of government and election reform initiatives.

Frank’s new book, Back Roads and Better Angels: A Journey into the Heart of American Democracy, brings together two of America’s unifying loves — road trips and Abraham Lincoln. He takes readers on a thought-provoking journey into the heart of our democracy and the soul of our country through the voices of everyday Americans to see more clearly what still brings us all together — even amidst political divisions that have grown increasingly rancorous, bitter, and exhausting.

On Wednesday June 5th at 2:00pm ET Open Primaries President John Opdycke will talk with Barry about both Back Roads and his previous book, The Scandal of Reform which investigated how political reform in the hands of partisan insiders can be used to entrench their power.

Join the conversation. Register today!