Every Voter, Every Election: Ballot PA Campaign Launches to Repeal Closed Primaries
It seems pretty fundamental: if you’re a registered voter in Pennsylvania, you should be able to vote in every Pennsylvania election. But if you’re one of the Commonwealth’s 1.1 million independent or unaffiliated voters, you’re currently barred from participating in what is often the most important race in the election cycle: the primary. Not to mention that these voters help fund the very primaries they can’t participate in. It’s the dictionary definition of taxation without representation.
It’s time we put an end to PA’s closed primary system. We’re proud to be working with Ballot PA – a campaign driven by our longtime friends and clients at the Committee of Seventy (C70) and a growing coalition of partner organizations around the state – to do just that.
Last week, the Ballot PA campaign held its public launch on the steps of the Capitol by its Chair, David Thornburgh, along with: Alan Novak, former chair of the PA Republican State Committee; TJ Rooney, former chair of the PA Democratic State Committee; Senator Dan Laughlin (R-Erie), sponsor of SB 690 to allow independent voters to vote in party primaries; Senator Maria Collett (D-Bucks, Montgomery), cosponsor of SB 690; and Diana Dakey, independent voter and voter advocate.
You can watch the whole launch here, or check out some of the Ballot PA media coverage below:
Trib Live: David Thornburgh: High stakes in Pa.'s primary races
City & State: Lawmakers Laughlin and Collett are vouching for independent voters’ voices in primary elections
PennLive: The stakes are high in Pennsylvania’s primary races
Lancaster Online: Pa. shouldn’t have closed primaries
WGAL: Pennsylvania state senator proposes bill to end closed primary elections
CBS 21: New bill pushes to open up Pennsylvania primary system
You can help: sign the petition today to repeal closed primaries, and help us reach our goal of 2,000 signatures – the same amount needed by PA Governor and US Senate candidates to get on the ballot.