<[link removed]>





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 <[link removed]> 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 <[link removed]> 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, <[link removed]> 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. <[link removed]>



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

As we recently reported, Let Us Vote NM <[link removed]>, a project of Open Primaries,  launched a statewide education / Get Out The Vote campaign to mobilize independent voters <[link removed]> to participate in the primary. Now that early voting is underway that campaign is ramping up.

Check out the latest videos hitting the airwaves:

<[link removed]> <[link removed]>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. Note: please share with any friends or family you have in New Mexico. 

And ICYMI: We’re keeping up the pressure on the NM political establishment to do right by the voters. That’s why we partnered with Source NM to break the story that 2 out of 3 county clerks weren't informing independents of their rights. The story has been front page news in papers across the state. Check it out. <[link removed]>

We’ve been working in NM for a decade and local leaders have credited Open Primaries for our many contributions <[link removed]>. To learn more, read our report. <[link removed]>

Finally- kudos to Bob Perls who has been leading the effort to open the primaries in NM for a decade and who just voted for the first time in a primary election!!



Maryland Governor Wes Moore Endorses Open Primaries

Forgets He’s a Defendant in Open Primaries Lawsuit

As we reported two weeks ago. Maryland Governor and possible presidential candidate Wes Moore went on the Bill Maher show and endorsed open primaries. Small problem-Maryland has a closed primary and Governor Moore is a named defendant in the Open Primaries lawsuit <[link removed]> challenging the constitutionality of the state’s closed primary. 

Now our legal team is calling on the Governor to resolve the suit <[link removed]>, and the story is growing across every media outlet in the state. Check out our lead counsel and former MD Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford on WBAL:

<[link removed]>Then check out Open Primaries activist Colin Pascal as he calls on the Governor to do the right thing. <[link removed]>

A million voters represents 25% of all registered voters in  Maryland.  That’s why Open Primaries launched a groundbreaking legal challenge <[link removed]> 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. <[link removed]>



Open Primaries launched Let Us Vote Maryland <[link removed]> 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!



Washington DC Activists Target City Council



Grow Democracy DC <[link removed]> and its fearless leader Lisa Rice brought out dozens of DC residents to testify in person (and countless more submitted testimony) before the City Council over the Council’s failure to allow a 2024 ballot measure for open primaries <[link removed]> - overwhelmingly approved by the voters - to be implemented. More DC voters showed up to the hearing to voice their support for open primaries than showed up at the original hearing to pass it.

There are over 85,000 independents shut out of voting in primaries in our nation’s capital.

Watch Lisa as she breaks it all down in her testimony:

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



The deadline to submit written testimony is tonight! You can still join the chorus of voices calling on the DC City Council to do the right thing. Click here to submit testimony. <[link removed]>



- Democratic Angst Could Lead California to Change Its Primary Rules <[link removed]>
- Independents shut out of primaries in Nevada <[link removed]>
- SC GOP sues to close the primaries <[link removed]>
- Both Parties Are Fundraising Off a California Primary Crisis that Polls Show Doesn’t Exist <[link removed]>
- Tennessee's open primaries are a tradition worth keeping <[link removed]>
- More PA voters are registering as independents, but barriers stop lawmakers from following <[link removed]>
- Indiana's primary system needs to be accessible to all Hoosiers <[link removed]>
- Supreme Court supercharges the death of competitive districts <[link removed]>
- Louisiana temporarily moves back to top two primary for House races <[link removed]>



What California Learned: More Competition, More Participation Under “Top Two”

Professor Andrew Sinclair of Claremont McKenna College, a leading scholar of California’s “top two” primary,  recently testified about his state’s experience with the reform. His conclusion? Competition and voter participation went up. As he notes:



Read his testimony here <[link removed]>.

Have a great weekend,
The Open Primaries Team

PS--We've launched an Independent-to-Independent voter education campaign across New Mexico. We’re reaching voters through digital outreach, ads on Meta, CTV  and Youtube featuring real New Mexico independents speaking directly to their communities. Letting independents know they can finally vote.

So far, we’ve reached over 100,000 voters.

But there are nearly 400,000 independents in New Mexico. And with the primary approaching fast, we are running out of time.

Every $35 donated helps us reach another 1,000 voters with this critical information.

Can you rush a contribution today to help us spread the word before it’s too late? <[link removed]>

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