Rep Chris Rabb: There Should Be No Second-Class Voters In Our State

Rep. Chris Rabb writes:

Data shows that veterans and young people are more likely to identify and/or register unaffiliated with any political party. However, the current closed partisan primary system conditions their right to an equal vote on joining a private political party.

The primary election is not just the first stage of the public elections process (meaning paid for and administered by the state), it is often the most critical stage as many elections – particularly for state legislature and Congress – are effectively decided here.

This is because most electoral districts in the US (whether for the US House or a state’s legislature) are so safe for one party or the other that the November general election is all but inconsequential to the outcome.

The most meaningful vote -- more often than not -- is cast in primary elections, which tend to have a far lower turnout than general elections. The nonpartisan group Unite America found that in 2024 only 14% of voters cast a meaningful vote for the US House.