regarding open/closed primaries

[Roxi]

ok so it hasn't been that long ago that I learned all about open and closed primaries. My mom and dad are well educated professionals. I am not sure how long they have been voting but my dad is 64 and my mom is 46 (ya i know)...anyway I do know that my dad keeps up with politics on an average level and my mom just goes with what my dad says (as i said before they are former neocons that believed anything CNN and FOX told them) I do know they are far from uninformed on most political issues

However I am on the phone with my mom a bit ago and I tell her we are going to have to come to missouri to vote because registration is closed in Oklahoma and we wouldnt be able to switch to republican in time to vote for RP. (we just moved to OK from MO)

she says "what does that matter, you dont have to be a registered republican to vote for a republican" I said "in Oklahoma you do its a closed primary state" well in a nutshell, she thought i was crazy, as i am explaining the whole process to her she yells to my dad to ask if he had ever heard of this...he also thought i was crazy and i had to cough up some credentials to my sources to make him believe me...i still dont think he did so she looks it up on the internet and finds out this is true...now shes really pissed for one because some states you have to vote the same party you did in the last election..you cant switch parties....

so my actual point is this if my parents, with this much voting experience (MO is open primary which is the only state they have voted) didn't know about this then how many other people who live in closed primary states dont know this either...and isnt this an infringement on our rights? i mean this is a controlled vote scenario in some states... we should be able to walk up to the polls show our REALID's (jk) and vote without having to be affiliated with any party...or put on our DL's that we are registered to vote, and we lean toward one party or another...why can some states regulate what party i vote for just because i voted in the last election...

what can we do to get people informed about this?

[Bradley in DC]

Here is one source:

http://www.fairvote.org/?page=1801

but check with your state Secretary of State or local Board of Elections.

Also, even if an open primary, please register Republican ASAP to be eligible to sign ballot petitions for Dr. Paul--or possibly be a delegate candidate.

[Roxi]

no no i know all this we have the motions in progress to becoming delegates...

its the people who have NO CLUE there is such a thing as open/closed primaries that im worried about HOW DO WE FIX THIS PROBLEM

[foofighter20x]

Constitutional amendment or press for your state laws to be changed.

Really though, closed primaries are a smart thing. Unless people register to join my political party, I don't want them coming in an screwing with who my party's candidate will be.


Think about it. Like, in California, if 80% of Democratic primary voters supported Hillary, and they knew it, then just under 3/4 of those Hillary supporters could, in an open primary, pick the worst candidate of their main rival party to get that party's nod while they would be certain that Hillary would still be their candidate.

[Roxi]

i see....what about the states that have the rule that if you voted democrat in the last election you have to vote democrat in this one? i mean what if in 4 years i change my damn mind about who i want to vote for? isnt this an infringement?

[Electrostatic]

i see....what about the states that have the rule that if you voted democrat in the last election you have to vote democrat in this one? i mean what if in 4 years i change my damn mind about who i want to vote for? isnt this an infringement?

I think the way that works in most states that have that requirement is that you have to declare your party change and then the change goes into effect After the next election... Which means you have to change BEFORE the November election in order to vote Republican in next Springs primaries...

Which means we have to get the word out NOW...

[foofighter20x]

i see....what about the states that have the rule that if you voted democrat in the last election you have to vote democrat in this one? i mean what if in 4 years i change my damn mind about who i want to vote for? isnt this an infringement?

Depends on who's deciding... Are you in OK or MO? Check with your state's elections office for the exact rules.

My state (Oregon) only requires that you register within the desired party 20 days before the election (whether primary, general, or special).

[LizF]

Here is one source:

http://www.fairvote.org/?page=1801

but check with your state Secretary of State or local Board of Elections.

Also, even if an open primary, please register Republican ASAP to be eligible to sign ballot petitions for Dr. Paul--or possibly be a delegate candidate.


You're right about the importance of checking w/the Sec of State or B of E.

The fairvote.org site puts NH in the "Closed" primary category, when it's a Modified Primary--which is neither open nor closed, but it's own category.


For more info:
http://www.thegreenpapers.com/Definitions.html#Open
http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:ryGKfR1CURUJ:www.thegreenpapers.com/P08/NH-R.phtml+%22New+Hampshire%22+modified+open+primary&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us

[Roxi]

according to this, http://www.fairvote.org/?page=1801 IL and OH must vote in primary of same party as last primary vote. but its loosely enforced. even so i think this is F'd up

and I think we should be doing something to inform voters in closed primary states that this is the case, A LOT of people may not know this information