Nine states voting on open primaries, ranked choice voting and anti-gerrymandering initiatives
Today, 29 million voters across nine states will have the opportunity to cast ballots in support of nonpartisan election reforms – including seven initiatives to open primaries, an initiative to adopt ranked choice voting in Oregon, and an initiative to end partisan gerrymandering in Ohio. Nearly 1.5 million voters signed petitions to qualify these initiatives for the ballot.
In addition to supporting these initiatives, Unite America is also opposing measures to repeal open primaries in Alaska, ban primary reform in Arizona, and make the citizen-initiative process more cumbersome in North Dakota.
Unite America Executive Director Nick Troiano issued the following statement highlighting the historic number of election reform ballot initiatives:
“Even before a single vote is tallied, this year has demonstrated growing support among voters for better representation. Not since the early 1900s Progressive Era have we seen this many voters demand fair elections. Qualifying initiatives for the ballot is notoriously difficult — so it’s no small feat that every single pro-reform campaign this year made it before the voters. Moreover, these campaigns have built strong grassroots networks, diverse coalitions and a broad array of endorsements.
“This progress is even more notable given the ferocious opposition from the political establishment. Career politicians and special interests are spending millions of dollars and fighting tooth and nail to preserve a status quo that insulates them from any meaningful competition and accountability. In recent weeks, we’ve seen unprecedented levels of fear-mongering to plant doubts in voters’ minds –– including claims that these reforms will tilt the scales toward one side or the other. The fact that opponents within both parties in different states make these claims underscores their deceit and desperation.
“American democracy cannot sustain if our elections are controlled in low-turnout party primaries by the fringes of both political parties. Unite America is committed to the long game and fighting for systemic change to ensure every voter’s voice is heard.”
States that have open primaries initiatives are Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota and Washington, D.C. For more information on each of these campaigns and to follow real-time results, please visit uniteamerica.org/ballot-measures.
Examples of prominent endorsers of election reform on the ballot this year:
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