Open Primaries

If you’re a young voter like us, you’re probably tired of politics as they are now. Tired of every aspect of your life being a political issue. Tired of the restrictive grip of the two major parties making you jump through hoops to vote in critical primary elections or barring you from them entirely. It’s no secret that the major parties have been taking advantage of the way we engage with politics to guilt and scare us into their camp. But what you may not know is that 40% of Americans refuse to comply with this party-policed status quo.

Ever since I accompanied my mother to vote about a decade ago, I have been anxiously awaiting to turn 18. I remember walking with my mother into the polling place one sunny afternoon, listening as she explained what we were about to do. I watched her fill in her ballot and stood on my toes to try to catch a glance at the candidates’ names. I was envious of the “I voted” sticker she got when she was done, and I couldn’t wait to get my own sticker someday.

Editor's Note: This piece originally published on the American Enterprise Institute's blog and has been republished on IVN with permission from the author.

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Editor's Note: This op-ed originally appeared in the Maine Voices section of the Portland Press Herald and has been republished on IVN with permission from the author.

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Editor's note: This letter to the editor originally appeared in the Wichita Eagle, and has been republished on IVN with permission from the author.

Votes are still being counted in several states across the country. Unlike the year 2000, Florida is not in the spotlight. However, Florida should be highlighted as the state where a proposed state constitutional amendment received 57% of the vote but will not be adopted. 

Amendment 3 proposed the implementation of nonpartisan top-two open primaries to reform the current closed primary system in Florida. A clear majority of Florida voters want to get rid of our closed primaries; yet, since 2006, a supermajority (60%) is required to pass a proposed constitutional amendment. 

Editor's Note: This piece originally published in the Portland Press Herald, and has been republished with permission from the author.

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The presidential election on Nov. 3 is nearly upon us. No matter who’s elected, it will have an immense impact on our nation.

In Florida, another vote is looming that may have just as great an impact. Why? It takes the first steps toward true structural election reform.