Dossier
closed primary system
Coverage of closed primary system in the Nexus archive.
- Advocates push for Pennsylvania to leave its closed primary system behind
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 Advocates, including Open Primaries founder John Opdycke, argue the system is outdated and exclusionary, citing rising independent voter numbers and public support for open primaries.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.