Time for every vote to count on every level...
Important Note: Surreal ValeCity has a very strict policy regarding stating facts, especially on the topic of politics. The interview is a straight copy / paste from the e-mail.
A Very Special Thank You to Sarah Lyons (Communications Director / IndependentVoting.org) for taking time to do this interview.
A Very Special Thank You to Sarah Lyons (Communications Director / IndependentVoting.org) for taking time to do this interview.
1) What, exactly are closed primary elections? They are primary elections where the political parties have exercised their right to decide which voters can and can't participate and chosen to exclude independents, as well as any voter not registered with a given party, in order to conduct a "members only" election. Right now, our organization is focused on the 2020 elections and making sure the presidential primaries in every state are open to independents. Opening presidential primaries does not require legislative action at the state level because whether or not the election is open or closed is wholly determined by the political parties. So this is where we can make a strong impact in terms of changing the culture of politics. Once the presidential primaries are all open, voters will start demanding that their local and state elections be open as well and that the partisan restrictions on voter mobility be removed.
2) In doing a quick search, I noticed there are semi-closed primary elections. This one had me confused. What are semi-closed primary elections? These are elections where the parties have chosen to close their primaries to members only, but also allow independents or unaffiliated voters to participate. These elections require independents to select one party's primary or the other to vote in so independents are restricted and not allowed to "split their ticket" and choose freely from candidates of both parties.
3) Closed primary elections can seriously have an effect on the local. In the Lehigh Valley, I have seen local elections decided in the primaries. Am I correct in this statement? Absolutely. Primaries are often the most competitive of the elections.
4) In most cases, it only takes a few minutes to change your registered party. Other than the above statement / question, what is the big issue about certain states not having open primary elections? Independent voters feel that no American should have to join a party in order to have the right to vote in taxpayer funded elections. This is a challenge to the ways political parties, rather than the people, are allowed to design and determine what the process is by which we choose our representatives.
5) Laws can be difficult and time consuming to change. Could this be a big reason for all states not to have open primary elections? It is an issue of political will. Political parties and elected officials and lawmakers loyal to them would rather maintain the status quo and have the taxpayers pay for "their" elections and maintain "their" voter lists rather than have to foot the bill themselves and function as the private organizations that they are.
6) Using the above example (question #3), can closed primary elections be considered voter suppression? Yes. It's the largest and most under-reported form of voter suppression in the United States where over 40% of voters self-identify as independents.
7) Honestly, in your opinion, what would it take for states like Pennsylvania to have primary elections where everyone could vote? Regardless of political affiliation. Changes like this, where the parties and their leaders are not going to reform the institutions they benefit from, are brought about by movements that grow from the bottom up and put pressure on elected officials. There is such a movement in the country. It is diffuse but it is broad and growing rapidly.
Finally, expanding beyond closed primary elections:
7) We are in 2019. Is the political party system outdated and archaic? Primarily, candidates can use the parties (mainly Democrat and Republican) for fundraising and access to resources. In our modern, technological, virtual world, there are a lot of ways for candidates to become widely known without spending high amounts of money. It's our election system that is outdated and archaic because it's designed-for the most part-for the two major parties. The problem is, most Americans don't want to vote for a party anymore. They want to vote for a person, regardless of how the person is registered to vote. The freedom of association is an important one and political parties are an expression of that right. The problem is the parties have burrowed so deeply into the election process, they've entrenched themselves and are now a barrier between the American people and our democratic rights to participate and create a country of, by, and for the people. So we have to lessen the power of political parties through structural reforms in order to increase the power of the people.
For the readers / followers: I am a registered Independent voter who looks at people and not political affiliations. I live in Pennsylvania, 1 of 14 states that has closed or semi-closed primary elections.
Thank you very much for your time, consideration and any answers. I seriously hope everyone stays safe and warm.
Thank you very much for your time, consideration and any answers. I seriously hope everyone stays safe and warm.
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