“A low voter turnout is an indication of few people going to the polls.”
George W. Bush
“Democracy is 4 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.”
Benjamin Franklin
Both quotes state obvious outcomes – the second is the result of the first. But if the equation was changed to four wolves and seven lambs, with the majority agreeing to expand the menu, the end result would be much different. The more people who vote, the more the result will reflect the wishes of the entire electorate.
According to Wikipedia, the United States has the lowest voter turnout in the developed world for presidential elections. Actually, “don’t give a damn” won in a landslide. More eligible voters stayed home than voted for either candidate.
But primary statistics, even in presidential years, are much worse. According to Pew Research Center, only 14.4 percent of eligible Democrats and 13.5 percent of Republicans voted in the 2016 primaries.
Regardless of party, these statistics are truly shameful. Voters – or more accurately non-voters – obviously are responsible. But the current system in Florida not only doesn’t help, it contributes to these statistics.
Government works best when more people participate in the process. Just ask the lambs. So the goal should be to increase voter turnout. But the system works against this in the nine states like Florida that still have closed primaries.
Almost a third of Florida’s voters register as “No Party Affiliation,” or Independents. In 2015, a poll by NBC showed they were the fastest-growing voting bloc in the country – and this applies to Florida as well. Independents already exceed registered Republicans and Democrats nationwide. Yet, they are not allowed to vote in primary elections in closed primary states.
It’s more than ironic that Independents, the group most likely to decide the winner of a presidential election, as well as governors’ races, are not allowed to cast a vote to help determine who these people will be.
We are approaching the Florida Primary Election on Aug. 28. It’s the first step in choosing Florida’s leadership for the next four years.
But 3.4 million Floridians – 27 percent of the electorate – cannot vote their opinion, even though according to openprimaries.org, 70 percent of all voters want open primaries.
One outcome of open primaries is that more people vote; states that have open primaries have the highest turnout of voters. According to openprimaries.org, Colorado’s first primary that included unaffiliated voters resulted in record numbers – 300,000 more voters participating than before. That seems like an obvious result, but participation also improved in general elections as well.
Arguments against closed primaries are that Independents are paying taxes for a process from which they’re excluded. Further, voters shouldn’t have to belong to a political party to participate in the right to vote. The increase in the number of voters choosing to be unaffiliated is increasing – clearly, more people don’t want to commit to either party.
Who’s to say that independence from party politics and more of a focus on the candidate and issues aren’t good things. Perhaps the inclusion of Independents in the process will result in choosing candidates who are more moderate and who appeal to more than just the base in either party.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (June 26, 2018), there are two primary systems states use the most. One is the open primary, in which voters don’t register for any party. Rather, everyone chooses, in private, the ticket they want to vote for.
The other opens the existing process to unaffiliated voters by allowing them the party ballot of their choice. Voters registered by party would only have access to their party’s ballot, as is the case now in Florida. The advantage of this system is it would reduce the likelihood of, let’s say, a Democrat voting for the least likely Republican (in their view) to win in the general election.
This last option, which FairVote.org has labeled “semi-closed” (or “semi-open,” depending on your viewpoint), has been the choice of the largest number of states.
Whatever option chosen – and there are at least three more – what’s important is that all registered voters are allowed to exercise their right. To that end, Florida Fair and Open Primaries announced the launching of a ballot petition to create open primaries for Florida. They hope to gather the 766,220 signatures needed to get this proposed amendment on the 2020 ballot. Since that will be a presidential election year, unaffiliated independent voters will finally have a role in determining their voting destiny.
Of course, the fastest, easiest and least costly way to open primaries in Florida is for the Legislature to act. When you stop laughing – it will snow in Tallahassee before the Legislature as currently constituted acts – do consider asking candidates, including incumbents running for the Florida State House and Senate, for their views. The results may help you make your decision.
One thing is for sure. The current process is not a healthy one for participatory democracy – especially lambs. It’s time everyone had a seat at the table – not on the table. Being able to choose the menu – those whose names appear on the ballot – is a critical step.
As FDR said, “Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people and the only way they can do that is by not voting.”
It’s bad enough when eligible voters choose not to exercise their right. But it’s a whole other thing when the system purposely excludes them from the process.
Marsha Shearer is a Villager and a frequent contributor to Villages-News.com.
