Nevada Governor vetoes open primaries bill

Independents may be the largest group of voters in Nevada, but Governor Lombardo chose to continue their second-class status in the state by vetoing a bill this week that would have allowed them to vote in party primary elections. The bill had been fast-tracked through the legislature as a reaction to the increasing political pressure that the rapid growth of independent voters are having on politics in the state.

Not only that, but Lombardo also made the false claim that giving independent voters access to taxpayer-funded primary elections would go against the will of Nevada voters.

Undeterred, longtime open primary activists in Nevada are planning on mobilizing substantial support for reform in the state by working to establish a right to vote for independents in the state’s Voter Bill of Rights, which is in the Nevada Constitution. As our friend and Executive Director of Vote Nevada Sondra Cosgrove declared: 

“To protect civil rights in Nevada, every eligible voter must be empowered to participate fully in all publicly financed elections.”

Texas GOP retains law firm-claims it’s filing litigation to close the primaries

The Texas GOP amended their party platform last year to include closing the primaries as a priority, but two bills that would have done so failed to move forward in the legislature in this year’s session. Texas law currently combines nonpartisan voter registration with an open primary that allows every voter to pick a ballot. 

With the legislative route stalling, the Texas GOP is now pursuing litigation. They retained a law firm and announced they will be filing litigation imminently to close the state’s primaries. They are claiming-without any proof-that their move is the result of Democrats voting in Republican Party primaries. So called “cross over voting” has long been proven not to happen in any meaningful way but it’s a common excuse for partisan manipulation. (Read our article on the implications for Texas and beyond).

We’re working with the Texas Civil Rights Coalition, and other coalition partners across the South to monitor the situation and we’ll keep you updated

2025 has been an extraordinary year for the open primaries movement, and we’re not even half way through it. The number of real time breakthroughs, activities, explorations and conversations that have already occurred have been mind-boggling. In a new open letter to the primary reform movement, OP President John Opdycke reviews everything that’s happened so far and what it means.  

Now, IVN has released a new essay-2025 Has Already Been a Monumental Win for Independent Voters-that breaks it all down with interactive video and articles. Highlights include:

Why’s it all happening? As Opdycke concludes, “we are gaining traction because we are doing the work, and because our message of fairness and inclusion makes sense to the vast majority of Americans - and the politicians know it.”

Oklahoma United Takes State To Court to fight regressive new ballot law

Last month, the Oklahoma legislature passed Senate Bill 1027, a regressive new law that changes how signatures for ballot initiatives are collected, by limiting how many can be collected in the state’s most populous counties and requiring a minimum be collected in the least populated. 

This new law is directly aimed to hinder the process of Oklahomans getting initiatives they care about on the ballot. Margaret Kobos, Founder of Oklahoma United laid it out perfectly: 

Now supporters of Vote Yes on 836, the campaign to get open primaries on the ballot in the Sooner State, have filed suit, claiming that the Oklahoma Constitution prohibits new laws from retroactively changing the rules for proceedings that have already begun. They say the Oklahoma Supreme Court reaffirmed that principle just last year.

We’ll keep you updated as the case progresses.

NEW MEXICO: OPENING PRIMARIES TO INDEPENDENT VOTERS IMPROVES INCLUSIVITY AND REPRESENTATION

A new oped in the Albuquerque Journal from Bob Perls, a leader of the successful effort to open the primaries in New Mexico this year, lays out the changes he’s expecting to come from allowing independent voters the franchise and calls for building even deeper reform in the state:

ICYMI: Check out our new report titled New Mexico Open Primaries: A Roadmap for Reform- a detailed account of how New Mexico transitioned from closed to open primaries. 

The report highlights critical lessons that can be learned from New Mexico for open primaries advocates to enact similar reform across the US.

Have a great weekend,

The Open Primaries Team