75,000 independent voters currently lack the right to vote in determinative primary elections
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WASHINGTON - The nearly-75,000 independent voters in Washington, D.C., are one step closer to gaining the right to vote in primaries, following the District of Columbia Board of Elections’ announcement Friday that an open primaries initiative has qualified for the general election ballot. Currently, only voters registered with a political party can participate in DC’s closed primary elections.
Ballot Initiative 83, proposed by Unite America Board Member and D.C. resident Lisa D. T. Rice, would grant independent voters the right to participate in the party primary of their choice, and implement ranked choice voting for all offices.
Nick Troiano, Unite America Executive Director and author of The Primary Solution, issued the following statement:
“If you’re an eligible voter and you pay taxes in this country, you should be able to participate in taxpayer-funded elections. It’s that simple.
“This is an exciting day for the District. The nation’s capital and six states have a historic opportunity in November to give all voters a more meaningful voice in our elections. We’re inspired by the leadership of Lisa D. T. Rice and the YES on 83 campaign, as well as the more-than-40,000 residents in the district who signed on in support of this open primaries measure.”
2024 has already set a record for the most election-related ballot initiatives since the early 1900s. As many as nine could ultimately qualify - seven related to primary reform alone. Open or all-candidate primary initiatives are already on the ballot in Idaho, Nevada, and South Dakota; Arizona and Montana are on track to qualify later this month; and advocates in Colorado turned in nearly 213,000 signatures for certification yesterday in support of an all-candidate primary initiative. The Colorado secretary of state has until early September to rule on qualification.
