Open Primaries

Love is gifting a Trader Joe's tote bag to those who waited in line. The article also mentions open primaries appealing to those losing closed primaries, a country singer attacking Hochul over upstate solar panel farms, and bats experiencing population growth.

Texas Republican John Cornyn advocates for maintaining open primaries in his state. Some Republicans in Texas support closing primaries to exclude independents. John Opdycke of Open Primaries argues for a more inclusive system.

Open-primary advocates are urging Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s charter revision commission to include over 1 million unaffiliated New York City voters in primaries. The current closed system excludes these voters from party primaries unless they enroll in a party, but advocates have not yet proposed a specific replacement system. Mamdani’s Commission on Government Efficiency is gathering public input on potential City Charter changes.

Pennsylvania's closed primary system excludes over 1.5 million independent and third-party voters from partisan primaries. Advocates, including Open Primaries founder John Opdycke, argue the system is outdated and exclusionary, citing rising independent voter numbers and public support for open primaries. A Franklin & Marshall College poll shows 77% of Pennsylvanians favor switching to an open primary system.