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John ,

I recorded a podcast interview <[link removed]> with Gabe Hart last week. Gabe lives in western Tennessee and is a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging voter suppression signs <[link removed]> (see below) that are hung at every poll site in Tennessee on primary day.



These signs threaten people with jail time if they vote in the primaries without being a “Bona Fide” party member-even though the term is undefined. Open Primaries is supporting the lawsuit to stop this outrageous practice.

Gabe and I took the conversation all over the place. But we kept coming back to the issue of “voter abuse.” Tennessee is far from alone. I talk to people from Texas to New York, Florida to Illinois, Louisiana to Nevada who report horror stories of trying to vote in primaries and being related to like a criminal. No wonder so few people do it. 

Open Primaries works across the country to enact (you guessed it) open and nonpartisan primaries of many different forms and flavors. But at the core of what we do is work to end the abuse that the American people are subjected to by the political parties when it comes to making their voices heard. 

“We the people” may pay for the primaries and the government runs them. But the parties determine who can vote, which candidates can run (how do you think Biden was coronated? <[link removed]>) and debate, and what level of privacy you are afforded as a voter. 

Open Primaries is not a small technical change. It’s a call for a wholesale reorganization so we the people can have a voting process that doesn’t leave us feeling like garbage. 

This is a big year for our growing movement. We have seven referendums on the ballot, legislation and litigation beyond that, and a HUGE pipeline gearing up for 2026. 

We have a chance to make a real difference this year, and we have a $200k matching gift to help us raise funds this summer. Please give. Give more than you were planning on. We need every dollar to fuel our high quality person-to-person outreach across the country.

<[link removed]>DONATE <[link removed]>In the hands of the political parties, primaries are exclusionary and divisive. In the hands of the people, primaries can be a tool for agenda setting, healthy argument, and growth. Let’s make it happen. 

Most sincerely, 

John Opdycke

President

PS - what’s happening in Tennessee is important nationally. If the legislature gets away with hanging “if you vote in this primary you could go to jail” signs at every poll, other states will follow suit. Our network in TN is fully engaged. If you live outside of TN and want to help just send me a note at [email protected] and either me or a team member will reach out to you.

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