*CORRECTION: our previous email included a duplicate graphic

Momentum Grows–Open Primaries Bill Passes the New Mexico State Senate

A report from Cesar Marquez, National Organizer for Open Primaries , who is on the ground in New Mexico.  

It has been an exciting week for open primaries at the Roundhouse, the New Mexico state Capitol. SB16, the bill for semi-open primaries passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday after a vibrant discussion and heartfelt testimony from multiple organizations and independent voters.

Breahna Roark spoke on behalf of the UNM college Democrats and said, “I am one of many independent voters….This bill would enable me to exercise my taxpayer rights and empower many young voters like me.”

Then on Wednesday, the bill came before the full Senate where it passed with a vote of 27 to 11. Senator Natalie Figueroa, the bill lead sponsor who has shepherded the bill’s passage through the Senate, handled the floor debate masterfully, advocating for the need to grant independent voters access to the primary elections. Take a look at the video for some highlights:

Senators Trujillo and Sedillo Lopez both shared they had been convinced to vote for SB16 based on conversations with independent voters in their districts. Sen. Sedillo Lopez commented that DTS (Declined to State) voters are independents because they “don’t agree with the platform of either party… They care and they want to participate.” 

As the bill now heads to the House, Sila Avcil, the executive director of NM Open Elections declared:

 “We want independent voters to know we will keep fighting through the legislature to the best of our abilities to ensure this constitutional right to vote in all primaries is established. They can contact their NM House Representatives and let them know they’d appreciate support for SB16 “

It has been great to see first hand the growing momentum for SB16. I have been at the hearings and on the Senate floor to witness the vote. I have also been traveling the state from rural Dilia to Albuquerque interviewing independent voters and helping them tell their stories. This is a diverse community of voters – now 23.5% of the state’s voters – who are very engaged and feel strongly that they should be able to vote in primaries that they help to pay for! We are making sure their voices are heard.

Closed Primary Bills in Indiana and New Hampshire Defeated

Indiana:

Senate Bill 201, which would have closed primary elections in Indiana, just died half way through this year’s legislative session. The bill had been gaining steam, having passed favorably out of the Senate Elections Committee and reported to the Senate floor just two weeks ago. Sen. Mike Gaskill, R-Pendleton, who authored SB 201 decided not to open it up for Amendments on the Senate floor because he said there wasn't enough support for the bill to pass the Senate after an outcry from voters and the press alike.

A win for the voters of Indiana! 

New Hampshire:

House Bill 172, which would force registered voters to declare their party affiliation well before the primary, introduced by Republican Rep. John Sellers was just defeated after a State House committee voted unanimously against the bill. 

This is great news  for the nearly 400,000 independent voters of New Hampshire–who are the largest voting bloc in the state–and will be able to hold their independence moving forward. Congrats to New Hampshire Independent Voters for leading the charge to defeat the bill.

Another Ballot Initiative to Repeal Ranked Choice Voting and Open Primaries in Alaska has been Approved

Months after a similar effort narrowly failed to pass, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom on Friday certified another ballot initiative application to repeal ranked choice voting and open primaries in Alaska. Supporters can now start collecting signatures from registered voters.   

Alliana Salanguit, Deputy Director of Alaskans for Better Elections on this latest attempt to thwart the will of Alaskans: “Our system works. We’ve seen it work. It gives every Alaskan voter a meaningful voice in shaping the future of our state.”

Stay tuned. 

Will the Republican Party Build a Coalition with Independent Voters? 

For the first time in US history, independent voters surpassed Democratic Party voters (and just below Republican voters) in a national election - 34%. But the “story” is not just in the numbers - it’s HOW independents are voting. A new report from Arizona State University found that independents were twice as likely as Republicans and Democrats to split their tickets between their Presidential and Senate votes. Independents are independent, and it's a mistake to assume that a vote for a party candidate erases that.

Will either major party make a play for independents? In a new piece out in the Fulcrum, OP Senior VP Jeremy Gruber asks: “whether Republicans will build bridges with independent voters and cement a generational winning coalition or squander the opportunity like the Democrats did with the independent-centric Obama coalition.”

Currently, leaders of both parties have been openly hostile towards open primary campaigns that would enfranchise independent voters–often breaking with many members of their own parties. But as Gruber points out, this is a big mistake:

Read his full piece here.

Oklahoma United and the Vote Yes on 86 campaign to open Oklahoma’s primaries to all voters had a major turn-out and important discussion last week at the League of Women Voters Bartlesville meeting. The forum was part of the campaign’s efforts to hold public events across the state all year long and bring voters into the reform conversation.

The campaign continues to gain steam–just this week we saw another op-ed of support in Tulsa World and many in attendance at last week’s meeting have signed up to volunteer with the campaign–if you’re in Oklahoma and want to get involved, sign up at www.voteyes836.com/volunteer.

Register for Our Next Primary Buzz Discussion 

What does it mean to be an independent entertainer in the age of political fragmentation? 

Republicans and Democrats have their entertainment sources–catering to their partisan bases. 

But what about the 50% of Americans who are opting out? As the divide deepens and more Americans leave the parties is there actually an opening for political comedy that unites people instead of reinforcing division? 

On Thursday February 27th at 3pm ET Open Primaries President John Opdycke will sit down with comedian, author and political satirist Andrew Heaton for a topical, spicy and hopefully fun conversation on whether it’s possible to bridge the divides in comedy right now and find meaningful commonalities. 

It’s gonna be a fun(ny) one. Register today!

Have a great weekend,

The Open Primaries Team