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Closed Primaries Are a Curse on Our Democracy
Harrop says closed primaries exclude independents and give partisan bases more power, helping produce nominees with broader support from just 11% to 25% of voters in some states.
- About 47% of registered American voters are unaffiliated, yet many are barred from participating in primaries. Author Froma Harrop argues that closed primaries exclude nearly half the electorate, making them "bad for the democracy."
- Outside the presidential race, the United States functions largely as a "one-party country," explains Jeremy Gruber, senior vice president of Open Primaries. The dominant party's primary becomes the only meaningful election, rendering the general election largely meaningless.
- Nationally, 57% of Gen Z and 54% of millennials are independent, while 52% of Latino voters are unaffiliated. Mike Madrid, author of The Latino Century, notes that Latinos in California represent the least partisan voting bloc.
- Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic nomination for mayor in New York City with support from only 11% of registered voters. Low turnout allows organized ideologues or special interest groups to effectively select the nominee.
- Groups like UniteNY are pushing to open primaries as a civil rights issue; two-thirds of New Yorkers favor the change. About 15 states, including Alaska and Massachusetts, already run strictly open primaries.
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30 Articles
30 Articles
HARROP: Closed primaries are a curse on our democracy
I didn’t leave my political party; my party left me. Both of them. I’ve been a Democrat, and I’ve been a Republican. What I am now doesn’t matter. The point is that a lot of American voters feel perpetually frustrated by the choices they find on the November ballot. The Democratic or Republican candidate is […]
Froma Harrop: Closed primaries are a curse on our democracy
A lot of American voters feel perpetually frustrated by the choices they find on the November ballot. The Democratic or Republican candidate is often chosen in low-turnout primaries where organized ideologues or special interest groups select the nominee.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources30
Leaning Left5Leaning Right0Center25Last UpdatedBias Distribution83% Center
Bias Distribution
- 83% of the sources are Center
83% Center
L 17%
C 83%
Factuality
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