The Arizona Free Enterprise Club filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a ballot initiative that would require state lawmakers to adopt a primary system that allows all voters and candidates, regardless of party, to participate on a single ballot.
Independent Voters
The DC Board of Elections has certified Initiative 83 for the November ballot, which would open primary elections to independent voters and requires ranked choice voting to be used in all District elections.
Last week, I recorded a podcast interview with Gabe Hart. Gabe lives in western Tennessee and is a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging voter suppression signs that are hung at every poll site in Tennessee on primary day.
Gallup generally finds that independent voter ID falls between 40 to 50 percent of the electorate. However, 4 months out from November, the latest numbers show 51% of Americans now identify as independent of the two major parties.
By the end of 2023, the average percentage of Americans that self-identified as independent was at 43%, which tied a record high set in 2017. However, even in an election year, this percentage isn't dropping.
Arizona is ground zero for a novel approach to voting reform that is not getting any attention from the national press, but could have tremendous implications for future elections and provide a fairer process for all voters -- regardless of their political affiliation.
Gallup has found that even as the US gets closer to November, the percentage of Americans that identify as independent has remained unchanged – at around 45%
Open Primaries continued its ongoing virtual discussion series Tuesday with a conversation on independent voters, who they are, and why we have a system that actively suppresses their voices at every level of elections and government.
Pennsylvania held its primary elections Tuesday, which effectively acted as the general election in most cases. However, statewide, over a million voters had to sit on the sidelines because of the state's closed primary rules.
An initiative that would open the taxpayer-funded electoral process in Idaho to all voters has more than 84,000 signatures, according to the group spearheading the initiative, Idahoans for Open Primaries.