Activist Takes Closed Primaries to Court in
Oregon |
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A longtime open primaries activist
filed a lawsuit this week charging that Oregon’s primary election
system violates the constitutional rights of Oregon voters.
Mark Porter, a lawyer and
independent voter from Clackamas, filed the lawsuit on behalf of
himself and Our Primary Voice, a nonprofit for election
rights.
The lawsuit cites the Oregon
Constitution, Article II, Section 2 that says all citizens are
entitled to vote in all elections if they are (1) over 18 years of
age, (2) a resident, and (3) registered to vote. But the state now
requires membership in a political party to vote in primary elections
which the lawsuit alleges is an unconstitutional requirement for
voting.
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Porter declared: “voting is very
important to me and I don’t think I should have to join a political
party to have a voice in who represents me in government…There are
more non-affiliated voters in Oregon than there are Democrats or
Republicans and I think all non-affiliated voters should have a voice
in electing our representatives.”
OP SVP Jeremy Gruber
added:
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New Report Declares Top Two Primaries Empower People
of Color |
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The NYC Charter Revision Commission
commissioned a detailed voting rights analysis of the reforms they are
considering (top two open primaries and even year elections) from
former US Attorney Loretta Lynch and the top law firm of Paul, Weiss,
Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.
Their findings?
That top two open primaries in New
York City would strengthen—not diminish—the ability of protected
classes, including Black, Hispanic and Asian voters, to participate in
the political process.
From the report:
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We hope this report finally puts to bed the
malicious lies spread by status quo voices that nonpartisan primaries
hurt people of color. |
Speaking of New York, the NYC Charter
Revision Commission has issued an interim final report suggesting that they are still considering
open primaries and that they are now focused specifically on the top
two model. The report begins by noting that throughout its public
hearings, the Commission has heard more testimony in favor of open
primaries than on any other subject and that NYC is an outlier, with
most major cities allowing independent voters to participate in
primaries. In an exhaustive review, the report further finds
that: |
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The report goes on to dispel many
of the claims by opponents that top two hasn’t been effective in
California.
Meanwhile, independents continue to
stand up for their rights across NYC and the entire state. Check out
the great footage from last week’s primary day protests, organized by
Open Primaries, Let Us Vote, and Unite New York:
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The Commission’s next hearing is in Harlem
this Monday. Don’t miss your chance to weigh in. You can find out more
about testifying by emailing Cathy Stewart at [email protected]. Take a moment and add your name to the Letter to the Charter Revision Commission
and share it with your
friends and family. |
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The campaign to open Oklahoma’s primaries to all voters
(SQ 836) continues to gain traction as they barnstorm across the Sooner
state educating and organizing voters about open primaries.
This week Oklahoma United in partnership with the LWV of Norman and
Women in Action for All Norman hosted a packed house in Norman, full of energy and thoughtful questions,
as folks came out to learn more about open primaries and State
Question 836. Our friends in OK report that the “engagement and
enthusiasm in the room were truly inspiring — it’s clear that
Oklahomans are ready for a more inclusive and representative
democracy.”
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As we’ve mentioned before, the Texas GOP
is pursuing litigation to close the state’s primaries. That’s
starting to provoke debates across the state on the merits of the
state’s open primary system and questions as to why taxpayers should
fund private party elections. Check out this great debate on Fox News
Houston, where among other
things, they declare closed primaries to be “political welfare.”
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The Growth of Independent Voters is Getting
Recognized |
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Major news outlets are starting to
wake up to the rapid growth of independent voters in America and the
major implications for status quo politics. In an in depth piece this week NBC
News, in partnership with
Ballotpedia, takes a deep dive into that growth, finding that
as of 2025, 32% of registered
voters across the dozens of states and territories with reported data
chose not to affiliate with either the Democratic or Republican
parties, up from 23% in 2000.
New findings also include the fact
that independents are growing
more diverse as a voting bloc, both ideologically and demographically.
About 56% of independents described themselves as “moderate” (rather
than “conservative” or “liberal”) in 2024, up from 50% in 2012,
according to an analysis of polls commissioned for NBC News. And 34%
of independents were people of color, double the share from
2012.
As one expert declared:
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Happy 4th of July!
The Open Primaries Team
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