IT’S OFFICIAL: OPEN PRIMARIES ARE NOW THE LAW OF THE LAND IN NEW MEXICO 

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed our open primaries bill into law this week which will take effect in 2026.  330,000 independent voters will finally have the opportunity to vote in every election in New Mexico. 

New Mexico joins Alaska, Colorado, Maine, St. Louis, and Washington DC in having opened their primaries in just the last few years.

Sila Avcil, Executive Director of New Mexico Open Elections and NM Voters First:

“New Mexico made history today. Thanks to our supporters, partners, coalition members, and legislators, we have taken a monumental step towards hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans gaining more access to some of our state’s most consequential elections. New Mexico, and our democracy, is better for it.”

Open Primaries has been a partner in this campaign since 2015 - organizing citizens, educating lawmakers, developing legal and policy analysis and building public trust. This year, our Let Us Vote campaign put New Mexico’s independents center stage across the state, from the pages of newspapers and across social media, to the statehouse with written testimony and meetings with legislators, letters, emails and phone calls.

OP SVP Jeremy Gruber, National Organizer Cesar Marquez and National Organizing Director Cathy Stewart joined local leaders and coalition members in Albuquerque to celebrate the big win.

Congratulations to the leaders on the ground who made this happen - especially SIla Avcil, Bob Perls, and the entire team at New Mexico Open Elections and New Mexico Voters First. 

This is a big win for the people of New Mexico and our movement.

NEXT PRIMARY BUZZ DISCUSSION: Come Celebrate the New Mexico Victory with the Team that Made it Happen!

On Wednesday April 23 at 3PM ET Open Primaries President John Opdycke will welcome key leaders from the successful New Mexico campaign to our Primary Buzz Discussions Series to talk about what makes a successful campaign and what this win means for the national open primaries movement. 

Featuring: Sila Avcil & Bob Perls (New Mexico Open Elections), New Mexico State Senator Natalie Figueroa, Ahtza Dawn Chavez (NM Native Vote), Jeremy Gruber (Open Primaries).

We hope you can join us to celebrate this major achievement for the voters of New Mexico and the entire reform community and bring your questions. New Mexico is just the tip of the iceberg!

Momentum Builds in NYC: Independent Voters Come Out Big To Testify for Primary Reform Before the Charter Revision Commission  

Wednesday night, the NYC Charter Revision Commission (CRC) held its last hearing on government reform at Staten Island University Hospital. The night was dominated by a conversation between the Commission and the overwhelming number of people there to testify about the need to open NYC’s primaries to the 1.1 million independents in the city.

A broad range of New Yorkers- in person and via zoom- called on the Commission to put open primaries before the voters this November. 

In his testimony, OP SVP Jeremy Gruber pointed out that NYC is “...so far behind on this issue. 36 states and 85% of cities like Los Angeles and Chicago already have open elections. It’s the standard way cities run their elections in this country.”

Commissioner Weisbrod had an engaged back and forth with Gruber about the form of open primaries that would be best for NYC. Gruber commented that there are lots of different forms but not to get “.. mired in the many forms of open primaries. At its very simplest, open primaries are about letting all voters vote. Start there.” 

Danny Battista, a Staten Island resident, spoke of the experience of having people campaigning during the primary literally turn away when he said he was an independent. 

Watch all the testimony HERE. The CRC has the authority to put changes to the NYC charter on the ballot this November for the voters to decide on. Stay tuned!

If you are a NYC voter, you can add your voice to the Commission and let them know they should open the primaries. You can submit your testimony here.

FUNDRAISING UPDATE: We’re Halfway There! Only 1 WEEK Left!

With the win in New Mexico, we now have further proof our strategy is a winning strategy. When no one thought we could pass primary reform through a state legislature, we led the successful campaign to pass open primaries in Maine. Now it’s New Mexico. But here’s the hard truth: it’s not easy. It takes years of tough, smart and creative organizing. You have to be willing to invest real time, real expertise and resources for years in order for it to pay off. 

That’s where supporters like you come in. 

A win like this comes at a critical moment–as we plan for the growing list of campaigns and organizing we’re able to take on over the next two years we need everyone who supports opening our elections to all voters to step up and invest in our capacity to lead and grow this movement. 

We need to hit our goal by next Friday. 

We still have nearly $400,000 to raise–this won’t be easy but as our win in New Mexico has proven–we’re looking for meaningful, not easy solutions.

Can you invest in this movement and make a tax deductible contribution today? 

The only way we see more wins like New Mexico is if more of us rise to the moment and join in. Can you do that? 

Thank you so much. 

Have a great weekend,

The Open Primaries Team