Posted: Monday, August 11, 2014 9:00 pm
Despite the general election being just months away, election watchers of all stripes still are talking about primary elections.
The 20.2 percent voter turnout in the 2014 primaries, a lawsuit challenging closed primaries and the growing frustration of so-called independent voters who can’t vote in primaries all are leading to serious discussion of changes to the primary system. Changes, we might add, that are overdue.
Some 240,000 New Mexico voters now refuse to select a political party — this decline-to-state, or independent voter, comes out to about 1 in 5 voters. Back in 1982, independents only totaled about 7 percent of registered voters. Such decline-to-staters can’t participate in either a Republican or Democratic primary (or Green or Libertarian, for that matter). Independent status comes at a cost. These voters lack a voice in selecting nominees for fall elections, and more importantly, in choosing what often is the winner in down ballot races. Primaries decide who becomes sheriff, or county commissioner or county treasurer, in many cases.
Albuquerque Democrats Bill O’Neill, a senator, and Emily Kane, a state representative, last week announced legislation to open primaries more broadly. Under their proposal, decline-to-state voters would be able to choose a party primary and vote. The legislation would not allow Republicans or Democrats to cross over and vote in the party primary of the competition, however. It also would not create a blanket primary, which puts all candidates on one ballot, with the top two advancing to the general election (or to a runoff, as is done in Louisiana if the winner does not exceed 50 percent.)
Read more here: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/editorials/our-view-gop-dems-let-them-vote/article_e211f032-3008-5882-a7b0-ab46d18e6d95.html