MAINE: Maine will hold its very first open primary for local races next week. 

Nearly 300,000 Maine voters who couldn’t vote before have gained full voting rights and can finally take part.

This didn’t happen overnight. It was a five year collaborative process between Open Primaries, Open Primaries Maine, elected officials, civic groups, party leaders, editorial boards, journalists, and citizens throughout the state to champion the right of all Maine voters to participate in primaries. But it’s finally happening and we’re thrilled that all Mainers will finally be able to participate fully. 

For a deeper dive into what it took to bring open primaries to Maine, read our full report HERE.

SOUTH DAKOTA: A new poll out in South Dakota finds that 56% of South Dakotans support a move from closed primaries to an open, nonpartisan primary where the top two vote-getters move on to the general election.  Currently, only 35% of South Dakotans polled support the current closed primary system.

And ICYMI last week: South Dakota Open Primaries hit its goal and submitted 47,000 signatures to get open primaries on the ballot! The SOS office has until August 13th to validate the Amendment. This is big news! 1 in 4 South Dakotans who are independent are one step closer to voting.

South Dakota has officially joined the roster of reform campaigns headed towards the 2024 ballot.

NEW YORK: A new piece in the Daily News warns NY Democrats that they’re increasingly out of touch with independent New Yorkers. A new poll has found that 46% of independents are prepared to vote for the Republican congressional candidate in their district in 2024, compared to 26% who suggested they would support the Democratic candidate. 

In a one-party state like New York, shutting out voters and pretending they don’t exist has consequences. Our advice to Democratic leadership: Talk to independents. Run campaigns that speak to voters outside of your partisan base. Independent voters decide elections, it’s time to build bridges and let them vote. 

Speaking of Let Us Vote, last month Campaign Manager Will Conway traveled to DC to meet with independent voters who’ve been ignored by the the Democratic machine of DC city politics. In our nation's capital, 1 in 6 residents aren't allowed to vote in the elections that matter: the primary.

Hear their stories and then ask yourself the question: should these Americans be denied the right to vote because they refuse to join a private political party?

FYI: The LUV Campaign is well on its way to 10,000 supporters and 500 stories by Memorial Day. We're currently at 7,796 supporters and 250 stories. Remember to share yours, if you haven’t yet!

NEVADA: Last weekend Open Primaries joined Vote Nevada at a state event featuring reform leader and trailblazer Katie Fahey. 

In 2018, Fahey led the successful grassroots campaign to ban partisan gerrymandering in Michigan. She founded the group Voters Not Politicians and organized thousands of volunteers to collect over 425,000 voter signatures (without any use of paid petitioners!) for a ballot initiative amending the state constitution to create an independent redistricting commission.  

The event saw Nevadans from all walks of life come together to share ideas on next steps at protecting democracy and enfranchising every Nevadan. 

The Nevada Supreme Court recently upheld a district court ruling which struck down two proposed ballot questions seeking to establish an independent redistricting commission in Nevada. The order found that the measures: “were invalid because they would create a new state body without establishing a revenue source to pay for it.” 

This is a major loss for Nevadans' right to change the state constitution by ballot initiative–As OP Spokesperson and Vote Nevada Chair Sondra Cosgrove put it: 

“I think we've lost the ability to run constitutional amendment ballot questions with this ruling.  Everyone who wants to run a constitutional amendment is now subject to a legal challenge that says if they want to spend $1, they have to raise a tax to spend that dollar.”