Ballot initiative would allow independents to vote in primaries

[Anonymous]

There’s a ballot initiative that would allow independents to vote in primaries. This is a really important reform to how we conduct elections.

DC is a one party city of course which means all the important decisions are made in the primaries. If you’re waiting until the general election to choose a candidate, you’re doing it wrong. By then, it’s the person who’s going to win vs. some crazy person in a tin foil hat.

DC has some of the most restrictive rules in the country though about who is allowed to vote in primaries.

Not surprisingly, turnout in primaries is very low and is dominated by the two parties’ extremists. If you’re wondering why our elected representatives seem so far to the left of the voters, well, here’s your answer.

Opening up the primaries to independents would: 1. Dramatically increase turnout 2. Stop disenfranchising the city’s 80,000 independents and 3. Produce candidates more closely aligned with what voters actually want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s a ballot initiative that would allow independents to vote in primaries. This is a really important reform to how we conduct elections.

DC is a one party city of course which means all the important decisions are made in the primaries. If you’re waiting until the general election to choose a candidate, you’re doing it wrong. By then, it’s the person who’s going to win vs. some crazy person in a tin foil hat.

DC has some of the most restrictive rules in the country though about who is allowed to vote in primaries.

Not surprisingly, turnout in primaries is very low and is dominated by the two parties’ extremists. If you’re wondering why our elected representatives seem so far to the left of the voters, well, here’s your answer.

Opening up the primaries to independents would: 1. Dramatically increase turnout 2. Stop disenfranchising the city’s 80,000 independents and 3. Produce candidates more closely aligned with what voters actually want.

It hasn’t gotten a ton of notice though the Washington post editorial board is 100 percent in favor

[Anonymous]

Our city council would look pretty different if this was adopted

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our city council would look pretty different if this was adopted

Would it? Don't get me wrong - I'm in favor of the ballot initiative - but if the city's 80,000 registered independents were that jazzed about voting in primaries, they'd register as a democrat, wouldn't they? The Venn diagram of people who register as independent, but want to vote in primaries and refuse to register as democrats for some reason has to be like 3 cranks on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

RCV will make a much bigger difference than even fully open primaries.

[Anonymous]

It's crazy and that governments provide electoral legal status to private party primaries. Massive corruption that was opposed by the writers of the Constitution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our city council would look pretty different if this was adopted

Would it? Don't get me wrong - I'm in favor of the ballot initiative - but if the city's 80,000 registered independents were that jazzed about voting in primaries, they'd register as a democrat, wouldn't they? The Venn diagram of people who register as independent, but want to vote in primaries and refuse to register as democrats for some reason has to be like 3 cranks on DCUM.

It would make a huge difference. Many of these jokers get elected with barely any votes. Nadeau won her primary with 7,000 votes. There’s 80,000 independents. You don’t need many of them to vote to dramatically change the electorate.

[Anonymous]

They need this in MoCo too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our city council would look pretty different if this was adopted

Would it? Don't get me wrong - I'm in favor of the ballot initiative - but if the city's 80,000 registered independents were that jazzed about voting in primaries, they'd register as a democrat, wouldn't they? The Venn diagram of people who register as independent, but want to vote in primaries and refuse to register as democrats for some reason has to be like 3 cranks on DCUM.

It would make a huge difference. Many of these jokers get elected with barely any votes. Nadeau won her primary with 7,000 votes. There’s 80,000 independents. You don’t need many of them to vote to dramatically change the electorate.

Okay, but you realize that there aren't 80,000 independents who 1) can vote in Ward 1, and 2) want to vote in the Ward 1 primary, right? Brienne Nadeau won her primary by ~3,000 votes. BOEE data indicates about ~10,000 registered independents in Ward 1. How many of those Ward 1 independents even vote in the general? How many of those Ward 1 independents are super engaged and really, really want to vote in the primary, but have some weird philosophical opposition to affiliating themselves? Probably not enough to change the outcome of the primary.

Again, I'm on board with open primaries! I think they're great. But if you think this is going to make "a huge difference," you're deluding yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s a ballot initiative that would allow independents to vote in primaries. This is a really important reform to how we conduct elections.

DC is a one party city of course which means all the important decisions are made in the primaries. If you’re waiting until the general election to choose a candidate, you’re doing it wrong. By then, it’s the person who’s going to win vs. some crazy person in a tin foil hat.

DC has some of the most restrictive rules in the country though about who is allowed to vote in primaries.

Not surprisingly, turnout in primaries is very low and is dominated by the two parties’ extremists. If you’re wondering why our elected representatives seem so far to the left of the voters, well, here’s your answer.

Opening up the primaries to independents would: 1. Dramatically increase turnout 2. Stop disenfranchising the city’s 80,000 independents and 3. Produce candidates more closely aligned with what voters actually want.

I’m one of those looney people who thinks only party members should choose that party’s candidate. Why should the lazy yahoos get to invade a group they’re not a part of and choose who that group’s candidate.

If you’re an independent or unaffiliated, and want to vote, there’s the general election for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our city council would look pretty different if this was adopted

Would it? Don't get me wrong - I'm in favor of the ballot initiative - but if the city's 80,000 registered independents were that jazzed about voting in primaries, they'd register as a democrat, wouldn't they? The Venn diagram of people who register as independent, but want to vote in primaries and refuse to register as democrats for some reason has to be like 3 cranks on DCUM.

It would make a huge difference. Many of these jokers get elected with barely any votes. Nadeau won her primary with 7,000 votes. There’s 80,000 independents. You don’t need many of them to vote to dramatically change the electorate.

Okay, but you realize that there aren't 80,000 independents who 1) can vote in Ward 1, and 2) want to vote in the Ward 1 primary, right? Brienne Nadeau won her primary by ~3,000 votes. BOEE data indicates about ~10,000 registered independents in Ward 1. How many of those Ward 1 independents even vote in the general? How many of those Ward 1 independents are super engaged and really, really want to vote in the primary, but have some weird philosophical opposition to affiliating themselves? Probably not enough to change the outcome of the primary.

Again, I'm on board with open primaries! I think they're great. But if you think this is going to make "a huge difference," you're deluding yourself.

The Democratic Party of dc is spending a lot of money on a doomed lawsuit to keep this off the ballot so they obviously think it will make a big difference

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our city council would look pretty different if this was adopted

Would it? Don't get me wrong - I'm in favor of the ballot initiative - but if the city's 80,000 registered independents were that jazzed about voting in primaries, they'd register as a democrat, wouldn't they? The Venn diagram of people who register as independent, but want to vote in primaries and refuse to register as democrats for some reason has to be like 3 cranks on DCUM.

It would make a huge difference. Many of these jokers get elected with barely any votes. Nadeau won her primary with 7,000 votes. There’s 80,000 independents. You don’t need many of them to vote to dramatically change the electorate.

Okay, but you realize that there aren't 80,000 independents who 1) can vote in Ward 1, and 2) want to vote in the Ward 1 primary, right? Brienne Nadeau won her primary by ~3,000 votes. BOEE data indicates about ~10,000 registered independents in Ward 1. How many of those Ward 1 independents even vote in the general? How many of those Ward 1 independents are super engaged and really, really want to vote in the primary, but have some weird philosophical opposition to affiliating themselves? Probably not enough to change the outcome of the primary.

Again, I'm on board with open primaries! I think they're great. But if you think this is going to make "a huge difference," you're deluding yourself.

The notion that independent voters don’t matter would come as news to every presidential campaign ever

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our city council would look pretty different if this was adopted

Would it? Don't get me wrong - I'm in favor of the ballot initiative - but if the city's 80,000 registered independents were that jazzed about voting in primaries, they'd register as a democrat, wouldn't they? The Venn diagram of people who register as independent, but want to vote in primaries and refuse to register as democrats for some reason has to be like 3 cranks on DCUM.

It would make a huge difference. Many of these jokers get elected with barely any votes. Nadeau won her primary with 7,000 votes. There’s 80,000 independents. You don’t need many of them to vote to dramatically change the electorate.

Okay, but you realize that there aren't 80,000 independents who 1) can vote in Ward 1, and 2) want to vote in the Ward 1 primary, right? Brienne Nadeau won her primary by ~3,000 votes. BOEE data indicates about ~10,000 registered independents in Ward 1. How many of those Ward 1 independents even vote in the general? How many of those Ward 1 independents are super engaged and really, really want to vote in the primary, but have some weird philosophical opposition to affiliating themselves? Probably not enough to change the outcome of the primary.

Again, I'm on board with open primaries! I think they're great. But if you think this is going to make "a huge difference," you're deluding yourself.

The Democratic Party of dc is spending a lot of money on a doomed lawsuit to keep this off the ballot so they obviously think it will make a big difference

They don't need to be worried that they think it will make a big difference, only the potential for a small difference is incentive enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our city council would look pretty different if this was adopted

Would it? Don't get me wrong - I'm in favor of the ballot initiative - but if the city's 80,000 registered independents were that jazzed about voting in primaries, they'd register as a democrat, wouldn't they? The Venn diagram of people who register as independent, but want to vote in primaries and refuse to register as democrats for some reason has to be like 3 cranks on DCUM.

It would make a huge difference. Many of these jokers get elected with barely any votes. Nadeau won her primary with 7,000 votes. There’s 80,000 independents. You don’t need many of them to vote to dramatically change the electorate.

Okay, but you realize that there aren't 80,000 independents who 1) can vote in Ward 1, and 2) want to vote in the Ward 1 primary, right? Brienne Nadeau won her primary by ~3,000 votes. BOEE data indicates about ~10,000 registered independents in Ward 1. How many of those Ward 1 independents even vote in the general? How many of those Ward 1 independents are super engaged and really, really want to vote in the primary, but have some weird philosophical opposition to affiliating themselves? Probably not enough to change the outcome of the primary.

Again, I'm on board with open primaries! I think they're great. But if you think this is going to make "a huge difference," you're deluding yourself.

The notion that independent voters don’t matter would come as news to every presidential campaign ever

Jesus Christ, where did I say that their votes don't matter? I said that the notion that a tidal wave of independent voters champing at the bit to vote in primaries, held back only by their principled stance against affiliating, suddenly and drastically reshaping the council is fanciful thinking.

[Anonymous]

Nadeau goes down in defeat if independents can vote in primaries