‘Our democracy will get better.’ Legislators push for open primaries

Pa. open primary bill introduced, bipartisan support in House, Senate | WITF

Taxes paid by unaffiliated voters, often called independents, fund primary elections in Pennsylvania, even though they are excluded from participating in them. 

That disenfranchises as much as 16% of the state’s registered voters, especially in a municipal election year like this one when winners of many elected offices – school boards, township supervisors and more – are effectively decided in the primaries. 

Pennsylvania is one of 10 states that hold so-called closed primaries, in which only registered party members can vote. State legislators have been introducing bills to open up the primary process to unaffiliated voters since at least 1994. One of those lawmakers, state Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Lehigh, is trying again.