STATEMENT: Pennsylvania House Advances Open Primary Bill

In a bipartisan vote Monday, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives advanced an open primaries bill that would give more than 1.4 million registered independents the right to vote in primaries. Specifically, the proposal would allow independent or unaffiliated Pennsylvanians to choose a Democratic or Republican primary ballot without changing their party affiliation. House Bill 280 now moves to the state Senate.

Nick Troiano, executive director of Unite America, issued the following statement celebrating the milestone:

“Thanks to today’s bipartisan vote, Pennsylvania moves one step closer to giving every voter the right to participate in every taxpayer-funded election. It’s hard to believe that in the birthplace of our democracy, 1.4 million voters lack the right to vote simply because they don’t want to join a political party. 

“We’re proud to support the campaign to open primaries in Pennsylvania, and look forward to seeing this bill pass the senate and be signed into law.”

Additional background on Pennsylvania’s “Primary Problem":

Pennsylvania has closed primaries, which prohibit the state’s 1.4 million unaffiliated voters from participating in party primaries. This is particularly problematic because, in most districts, the election is decided in the party primary, not the November general election. 

Case in point: This year, Pennsylvania’s May primary effectively determined the winner in 14 of the state’s 17 U.S. House races. A little more than 240,000 voters participated in the dominant party primaries for those races. In other words, 82% of Pennsylvania’s House races were determined by just 2% of registered voters.

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Unite America is a philanthropic venture fund that invests in nonpartisan election reform to foster a more representative and functional government.

‍For More Information: Ross Sherman, Unite America Press Director, ross@uniteamerica.org, 207-749-2660

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