Arizona Secretary of State asks State Supreme Court to end lawsuit challenging open primaries ballot initiative

AZ Secretary of State Adrian Fontes has asked the Arizona Supreme Court to stop ongoing legal efforts by opponents of Make Elections Fair AZ’s Proposition 140 to knock it off the ballot.

Proposition 140 has been certified for the November ballot. But the courts are allowing opponents to continue their harassment. 

Fontes stated “no provision in the Arizona Constitution permits a measure to go to the ballot and allow millions of voters to vote on it, only for those votes to be invalidated.”

Kudos to Secretary of State Fontes for standing up for what’s right…and great hat!  

Read the full coverage here.

NEW OP-ED IN THE FULCRUM: Our Election System is Failing Independent Voters

Independents have been the deciding vote in every presidential contest since the Obama era. And every election season, debates arise about who independent voters are, whether they matter, and even whether they actually exist!

Open Primaries Senior VP Jeremy Gruber has written a new op-ed in The Fulcrum on how our election system continues to fail 51% of Americans: 

“Just this year, 27 million Americans who registered as independent were shut out of the presidential primaries. And despite the tired argument that primaries are private affairs, it’s the government that pays for and runs these elections and it’s the government that enforces the Democratic and Republican parties’ desire to shut independent voters out.”

–OP Senior VP Jeremy Gruber

Independent voters are the fastest growing group of voters in America today. Everyone seems to have an opinion about what that means for the 2024 election. But what it means to millions of independent Americans is simple: You’re a second-class citizen.

READ THE FULL OP-ED HERE.

COLORADO: The Colorado Chamber of Commerce endorsed Colorado Voters First Initiative 310 to create an open primary and ranked choice voting in Colorado: 

“We rely on strong partners in the legislature to help advance our strategic vision, and the process through which we elect those leaders often shapes electoral outcomes. Political division and extremism impede progress and collaboration, resulting in a disconnect between the values of Coloradans and the priorities of their elected representatives. By expanding voter choice, we believe that Initiative 310 will encourage balance on both sides of the aisle and reduce the polarization that leads to bad policy for business.”

FLORIDA: Bill Cotterell, a retired capitol reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat has joined the chorus of Floridians demanding lawmakers address Florida’s fraudulent loophole that continues to shut out millions of voters: 

“Surely some write-in candidates are sincere. Maybe they want to make a moral statement or offer their neighbors a choice at the polls but can’t afford the qualifying fee. So, let them all run. Just don’t let them close primaries for millions of Floridians who’ve never heard of them.”

MONTANA: Former President of the Montana Senate, Republican Jim Peterson, has written an op-ed  in support of open primaries initiative Yes on 126 citing his experiences as a Legislator: “Party bosses started demanding loyalty to the party, not to the people of Montana. It meant leaders were punished for taking hard votes, with threats of “getting primaried” stronger than the will to do the right thing.”

NEVADA: The Las Vegas Review Journal published this piece highlighting the similarities between Alaska and Nevada and how Alaska’s new election process (that’s inclusive of all voters!) could show what’s in store for Nevada. 

SOUTH DAKOTA: Dakota News Now produced a 30-minute segment covering South Dakota Open Primaries Amendment H to enact top two open primaries which will be on the November ballot. Watch the full video here.

Let Us Vote’s video series featuring independents from all across America continues–Meet Sarah Smallhouse, Chairman of Make Elections Fair AZ and an independent voter:  

"It's a frustrating experience as an independent. It's an experience that you can navigate, but it's not easy, it's time-consuming, and there's some frustration involved even if you go through all the processes. So I'd like to see things improved for independents."

Watch Let Us Votes’ latest video here:

Have a great weekend,

The Open Primaries Team