Maryland Governor Wes Moore Endorses Open Primaries

Forgets He’s a Defendant in Open Primaries Lawsuit

This past weekend Maryland Governor and possible presidential candidate Wes Moore went on the Bill Maher show and endorsed open primaries. Welcome aboard Governor! Small problem-Maryland has a closed primary and Governor Moore is a named defendant in the Open Primaries lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state’s closed primary.

Apparently no one in Maryland knew about the interview until Open Primaries started contacting our friends-including Maryland Delegate Qi who we’ve been working with on legislation and who has engaged the Governor repeatedly on the issue, and former state Democratic Party Chair Terry Lierman, whose calls into the Governor’s mansion are apparently creating quite a stir.

Now our legal team is calling on the Governor to resolve the suit.

A million voters represents 25% of all registered voters in Maryland. That’s why Open Primaries launched a groundbreaking legal challenge on behalf of five independent Marylanders last year in collaboration with former state Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford. It’s also why we joined Delegate Qi on legislation to open the primaries.

Open Primaries launched Let Us Vote Maryland to make the million independents visible - as real people shut out from having a voice. Already dozens of independents have testified at hearings and hundreds more have called and written their state representatives.

Stay tuned!

Open Primaries Launches Campaign to Rally New Mexico Independents Ahead of State’s First Open Primary

Let Us Vote NM, a project of Open Primaries, has launched a statewide education / Get Out The Vote campaign to mobilize independent voters to participate in the upcoming primary on June 2. 2026 is the first year in which independents are fully eligible to vote in the primaries.

This first-of-its-kind “independent-to-independent" campaign is built by independents, for independents, and features independents from across the state speaking directly about the importance of independent voters making their voices heard in the primaries - oftentimes the most important election. Check out the first (of many) new videos hitting the airwaves:

Note: please share with any friends or family you have in New Mexico.

For us, passing open primaries is the beginning, not the end. Changing the law is important. But bringing independent voters into the process is what it’s all about. And we have a lot of work to do! Most independents still think primaries are for partisans.

We’ve been working in NM for a decade. We developed litigation in 2018 challenging the exclusion of independent voters, and have been active in driving policy development, public education and grassroots pressure that made reform possible. Local leaders have credited Open Primaries for our many contributions.

To learn more, read our report.

Washington DC Activists Target City Council

Grow Democracy DC and its fearless leader Lisa Rice are rallying the troops for today’s City Council hearing over the Council’s failure to allow a 2024 ballot measure for open primaries - overwhelmingly approved by the voters - to be implemented. There are over 85,000 independents shut out of voting in primaries in our nation’s capital.

Watch Open Primaries Wash. DC Ward 4 activist Tanya Hutchins as she breaks it all down:

Then read OP SVP Jeremy Gruber’s testimony to the Commission. His message is blunt: This is the voting rights issue of our time:

Oregon Open Primaries Campaign Gains Steam

1.35 million independents are barred from voting in Oregon’s closed primary and Oregon Voter Fairness is leading the campaign to put primary reform on the 2026 ballot.

If you're in Oregon, join them at one of their upcoming info sessions to learn how you can make an impact—whether that’s gathering signatures, volunteering, or simply coming to listen and learn:

May 5, 5–6:30pm at Beaverton Library
Free tickets:Beaverton Library
May 6, 4–6pm at River Pool & Sports Bar (Portland) with Future Portland. Free tickets:River Pool & Sports Bar PDX
May 7, 6:30–8pm at Sisters Movie House (Sisters, Oregon). Free tickets:Sisters Movie House

Kent Thiry-Closing Colorado’s primaries would be a great loss for democracy.
Missouri got rid of its presidential primary in 2024. Participation went WAY down in caucuses and the state became increasingly irrelevant during the campaign. Now some lawmakers want to bring it back.
Tennessee may still have an open primary and nonpartisan voter registration but that hasn’t prevented GOP lawmakers from trying to criminally prosecute certain voters who picked a GOP ballot.
New UCLA study finds an increase in primary voting could pay off big time in combatting extremism.
A million independents are shut out in Pennsylvania’s closed primary. Meet 2 of them.
Maine’s open primary can help disrupt political polarization.
In 2024, after Wyoming closed its primary, just 27% of voters participated in the primary, and only 9% of eligible voters effectively chose the current House leadership. One Wyoming legislator tells voters-switch parties and vote your conscience.

Survey finds 80% of Gen Z voters say the two major parties don’t represent them

An eye-opening survey: Frustrated but Engaged: Gen Z Attitudes on Voting, Parties and Issues in 2024 out from ASU’s Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy shows the widening gap between young voters and the two major parties.

Some key findings:

80% Gen Z voters say the two major parties don’t represent them
49% of Gen Z voters say they’re registered independents
95% of Gen Z voters support for equal access to voting regardless of party affiliation

Center Co-Director and Professor Thom Reilly summarized the findings: