The state State Senate recently passed a bill (SB300) to switch to open primary elections in the commonwealth. A companion bill in the House (HB192) is waiting to be voted on.
The argument for open primaries is that allowing the independent/unaffiliated voter to participate in choosing party nominees will decrease partisanship in government. However, because the purpose of a primary is for members of a political party to choose their nominees for the general election, opening the process to those who have decided not to join could result in candidates neglecting to take a position in an attempt to appeal to everyone (thus appealing to no one).
Having to “play to the base” forces a candidate to sharpen his or her focus and take a stand. Furthermore, what so many politicians refer to as “partisanship” is the rigorous debate that is the lifeblood of democracy. Obtaining membership in a political party (or leaving) is a simple matter of updating one’s voter registration. There is no excuse.
I oppose open primaries. The direction each political party takes should be left to those who have made a commitment, not the fair-weather masses who have suddenly become enamored with a candidate but generally couldn’t care less. I encourage my fellow Pennsylvanians to join me in calling for their representatives to oppose HB192 and to ask Gov. Tom Wolf to veto any such bill that may cross his desk. The closed primary system is not broken and does not need to be fixed.
SETH WARREN
Brookline
First Published: July 10, 2019, 4:00 a.m.