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Open Primaries. - Pa.'s primaries are currently closed. You have to be a Democrat to vote in a Democratic primary, and a Republican to vote in a Republican primary. Everyone else is shut out. Nine states, including Pa., have completely closed primaries.
The Inky has comments from the following legislative leaders:
Scarnati - “The extremes of the parties have taken over the primary process. ... I don’t know that I fit the new brand of conservatives, and I’m not so sure that some of the Democrats in the Senate Democrats fit the new brand of liberals.”
House Majority Leader Dave Reed (R. Indiana) - "I think giving independent voters that opportunity could help really reform the electoral process, get more people involved and hopefully get a more diverse set of opinions in the primary process, as opposed to only a select few choosing who gets to go on.”
Sen. Minority Leader Jay Costa (D. Allegheny) (through spokesperson Brittany Crampsie) - "Senator Costa is a strong supporter of active, participatory democracy – and is in favor of all legislation that allows more citizens to vote, and increases turnout amongst already-registered voters.”
Slaying the Gerrymander - Yesterday, the Senate State Government Committee amended a bill to replace the current political system of gerrymandering state legislative and US Congressional districts with a more independent 11-member Commission. FairDistrictsPa supports this compromise to the bipartisan bill offered by State Senators Lisa Boscola (D. Northampton) and Mario Scavello (R. Monroe).
According to FairDistrictPa's Carol Kuniholm, "it has strong safeguards for transparency, prohibitions against use of electoral data, constraints on splitting counties and municipalities, and mechanisms requiring broad buy-in among the commissioners and for the final map. Further safeguards in the selection process and mapping criteria will be added in implementing legislation, to be drafted in conversation with advocates and legislators from both parties.
"When evaluated against processes in place across the country, we believe this bill, with appropriate implementing legislation, would create one of the most fair redistricting processes in the country."
You can read more details here.
If successful, this will almost certainly be the most significant contribution to good government in the state since the turn of the century. And most amazing of al, it is the handiwork of legislators from the Lehigh Valley and Monroe. In addition to Boscola and Scavello, State Rep. Steve Samuelson has played a major role in redistricting reform.
23 comments:
It will never happen.
As a Republican, I'd enjoy voting for the weakest Democrat in primary elections. I want to give my candidate every advantage in the November election.
There is always a Susan Wild type in the Democratic candidates, or an Ed Pawlowski to support.
We should also be able to change the District boundary lines every two years, especially if Democratic candidates win. That means something is wrong, and we should be able to re-draw the lines to help get them out of office.
This is what the Democrat Supreme Court of PA did to us. Fair is Fair.
I used to support the idea of closed primaries, as on its face the parties should chose who represents them. However, the parties have become so polarized over the past 15 years, that come November our choices are increasingly a choice between two extremes, and governance has become more dysfunctional as compromise has become a dirty word under threat of primary challenges from the fringes. The extreme gerrymandering has only exacerbated this.
Politics will always be a part of redistricting. However, I think these two reforms are positive steps to restoring truly representative democracy, and more functional governance.
If you are going to open primaries, why not do away with political parties. it will introduce all kinds of shenanigans. As far as redistricting, lets draw the lines every 4 years by voter registration. Equal number of democrats and republicans in each district. Let Philadelphia and Pittsburgh be as they are, the rest of state. draw the lines no matter how long so they contain an equal number of each party. How could it be more fair?
Stop complaining because Wild won the primary, it is your party, she most closely represents the present democratic party, whether you like it or not.
Talk is cheap. Show me the green. Vote these do nothing bums out!!!
6:35. Not complaining at all my friend. I love the fact that the Democrats nominated a Hillary Clinton type who wants to increase taxes on everyone to pay for her social justice programs, and at the same time wants to be like Maxine Waters and impeach President Trump.
A Pennsylvania version of Nancy Pelosi is just the kind of canidate we wanted to run our Olympic Gold Medal champion against.
"If you are going to open primaries, why not do away with political parties. it will introduce all kinds of shenanigans.">
What kind of shenanigans? Small d democracy? Increased voter turnout? Candidates who actually represent the thinking and values of people within the district instead of the thinking of coastal elites?
Open primaries actually dilutes the value of the outside money made possible by Citizens United. As things stand, the people of California and NY decided on Wild as the Democratic nominee.
I still just don't understand how or why some Centrist/Moderate party can't be feasible in today's environment. Both parties are way too extreme and their respective leaders and supporting cheerleaders only care about painting the other team as the potential ruination of America as we know it.
The only way that happens is if a number of top Dems and Rs decide to form it. I'm all for more viable parties.
@9:41. The purpose of a primary election is for the members of the party to select a candidate to run in the general election.
Personally, I would rather do away with the election, and hold local caucuses like they do in the Midwest. That would take away the money aspect to a great degree, although they could still flood the media with campaign ads.
In a caucus, the ones that really care would show up which would produce a candidate that really represents the views of the party faithful
“According to FairDistrictPa's Carol Kuniholm… “ “…to be drafted in conversation with advocates and legislators from both parties.”
Real change in this realm will not occur until we all understand that there are more than only two parties representing the people of Pennsylvania. The number of individuals in those parties continues to grow. There are folks within the two major parties who, more and more, feel they are not being well represented by those parties. It should be about principles and issues. Politics should not be about blind loyalty to any party or person.
11:00 There are more than two political parties in Pennsylvania already. However, only two really matter.
Forced patriotism is not patriotism at all!
You're such a dick...
Open primaries are a mistake. The Repubs want them now because so many are disillusioned by their party, they need more independents to vote in primaries. People will vote to sabotage rather than vote for someone they like.
If they stay closed the parties should get the bill for what is a private closed function. Why do all taxpayers pay for closed elections?
6:35. Not complaining at all my friend. I love the fact that the Democrats nominated a Hillary Clinton type who wants to increase taxes on everyone to pay for her social justice programs, and at the same time wants to be like Maxine Waters and impeach President Trump.
A Pennsylvania version of Nancy Pelosi is just the kind of canidate we wanted to run our Olympic Gold Medal champion against.
Hillary Clinton type? Let me guess. Female. Grandmotherly. Shrill. Am I hitting all your points?
Your gold medal winner is already far behind Wild and if you think Repubs are going to make an amazing recovery, talk to me in 2 years. Congratulations for being with the most corrupt President in history.
the thinking of coastal elites?
Oh my god, we're doomed. This ridiculous Fox War-On-Christmas type rhetoric is filtering down to so-called moderate Dems now.
I still just don't understand how or why some Centrist/Moderate party can't be feasible in today's environment. Both parties are way too extreme and their respective leaders and supporting cheerleaders only care about painting the other team as the potential ruination of America as we know it.
This makes no sense. To say that Susan Wild or others are some radical leftists is a joke. These candidates are corporate centrists that fall to the left on issues of justice and equality. God forbid you are against police killing unarmed people or legalizing marijuana or making people who have more pay more. These are not radical leftist positions.
Let us ponder why it's so important to reverse decades of voter apathy/anger by making these changes-
Donald J. Trump.
In case anyone wonders how it can be that 1) A person so flawed could be elected and 2) How a relatively large number could still support him after 18 months of his ridiculous tenure, it is precisely because a large segment of Americans are sick & tired of the tricks and the scalawags they've been forced to endure through the traditional system. People hate politicians and polls prove this. An "alternative" candidate emerged, and enough people were sufficiently fooled to waste their votes on the absolutely worst man possible.
It's our own fault.
VOR
The political glacier that is Pennsylvnia moves slowly into the twentieth century.
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