{"id":298534,"date":"2026-10-02T18:54:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T18:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/298534\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T18:54:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T18:54:14","slug":"pennsylvanias-closed-primary-wall-just-took-a-major-hit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/298534\/","title":{"rendered":"Pennsylvania\u2019s Closed Primary Wall Just Took a Major Hit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ten years in the making. A bipartisan breakthrough. And a huge step toward opening Pennsylvania\u2019s primaries.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This week, the Pennsylvania House passed HB 280 in a bipartisan<\/a>, moving legislation forward that would allow the state\u2019s 1.5 million independent voters to participate in primary elections. Open Primaries has been fighting for this moment for a decade, working in partnership with Ballot PA Action<\/a>, its founder and Open Primaries national spokesperson David Thornburgh, and grassroots activists from Pittsburgh to Philly on both legislation and litigation to break down Pennsylvania\u2019s closed-primary system.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania House Votes to Open Primaries \u2014 While 63 Legislative Races Have No November Contest<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania\u2019s House passed a bill to open primaries to 1.5 million independent voters, but in 63 legislative races this year, only one candidate is running in November, making the primary the only real election.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Now, that decade of work has produced a House-passed bill.<\/p>\n

Open Primaries also named Rep. Jared Solomon (D) and Rep. Valerie Gaydos (R) its inaugural \u201cChampions of Independent Voters,\u201d recognizing their bipartisan leadership that helped bring HB 280 across the House.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania is the Keystone State\u2014and this is a keystone moment. With independent voters now the largest segment of the American electorate, what happens in Pennsylvania will be watched far beyond its borders. The fight now moves to the Senate.<\/p>\n

What We’re ReadingDO VOTING RIGHTS ONLY MATTER WHEN THE VOTERS ARE DEMOCRATS?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the question I am forcing New York\u2019s progressive establishment to confront in a new New York Daily News op-ed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More than 1.2 million independent New Yorkers\u2014including over 600,000 people of color\u2014are shut out of the city\u2019s primary elections. Yet many of the same politicians and organizations that have made voting rights central to their progressive identity are defending that exclusion.<\/p>\n

I put the contradiction front and center<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"\"LitigationTHE FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENTS IS GROWING IN THE COURTS\"\"<\/p>\n

Paul Rieckhoff of Independent Veterans of America<\/a> and Chad Peace of the Independent Voter Project<\/a> have filed a federal lawsuit challenging New York\u2019s exclusion of independent voters<\/a> from its primary elections. They are joined by Veterans for All Voters<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The legal team and their supporters gathered in downtown NYC to commemorate the event.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan Wars Sue New York After Being Denied the Right to Vote<\/p>\n

Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are suing New York over its closed primary system, arguing that independent voters are being denied equal voting rights in publicly funded elections.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The case joins a growing number of constitutional challenges in states across the country, including Maryland and Oregon.<\/p>\n

New York is not an isolated case-it is the latest chapter in a growing national legal movement for open primaries and independent voter rights.<\/p>\n

Learn more at the Open Primaries Litigation Portal.<\/a><\/p>\n

Did You KnowMORE VOTERS VOTE IN OPEN PRIMARIES<\/p>\n

Fresh findings<\/a> from the Bipartisan Policy Center demonstrate that open primaries consistently drive stronger voter participation than closed systems throughout the 2026 midterm elections\u2014reinforcing a clear trend highlighted in earlier BPC research<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What We’re Talking AboutGENZ IS INDEPENDENT. POLITICS ISN\u2019T LISTENING.<\/p>\n

A new CIRCLE study<\/a> reveals just how badly America\u2019s political system is failing a generation that increasingly sees itself as independent.<\/p>\n

56% of Gen Z identifies as independent\u2014and half of those young independents are people of color. Yet only 38% say they are extremely likely to vote in 2026, and just 37% believe their vote matters.<\/p>\n

That disconnect should be impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n

Young independents are racially diverse, economically stressed and deeply concerned about the cost of living, healthcare, housing and jobs. They aren\u2019t disengaged because they have nothing to say. They\u2019re disengaged because too many don\u2019t see a political system built to hear them.<\/p>\n

A generation that increasingly rejects party labels deserves elections that don\u2019t force voters into them.<\/p>\n

In The News<\/p>\n

New York: Open the primaries to independent voters<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania: PA\u2019s Closed Primaries Close Out Democracy. It\u2019s Time to Open Them.<\/a><\/p>\n

South Carolina: South Carolina\u2019s elections should serve voters \u2014 not political parties.<\/a><\/p>\n

National: Cassidy Introduces Bill to Strengthen Election Security, Give Accountability to Voters.<\/a><\/p>\n

In Case You Missed It\"\"<\/p>\n

A new Unite America poll<\/a> tells a remarkably simple story: 43% say primaries reward the most partisan voters, while 62% say wealthy donors and special interests have too much influence\u2014and only 13% say ordinary voters do. No wonder 71% say independents should be able to vote in primaries.<\/p>\n

When just 9.4% of eligible voters effectively decide 88% of House seats, the message is hard to miss: voters want their voice back.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Welcome Independents!<\/p>\n

This is an exciting moment for independent voters. We are the fastest-growing segment of the electorate, and in many states we outnumber either major party. More importantly, independents are beginning to organize and make our voices heard\u2014from legislative hearing rooms in Maryland and Delaware to the streets of New York City and the pages of USA Today.<\/p>\n

But most independents still don\u2019t know how many of us there are\u2014or the power we have to change how politics works. And millions of us still don\u2019t have full voting rights in the primary elections we pay for and participate in.<\/p>\n

That changes when independents start talking to each other. There is no substitute for person-to-person connection. That\u2019s how movements are built.<\/p>\n

If you ever watched the TV detective series, Harry Bosch, you will remember the sign above his desk: Get\u00a0off your ass and go knock on doors! \u00a0Okay, a little revision: Sit on your ass and make some phone calls!\u00a0<\/p>\n

We have more than 3,300 independents who recently joined our movement, and we need your help to welcome them. Join our inaugural Welcome Independents! National Phonathon. No experience required\u2014just a willingness to pick up the phone and connect with a fellow independent.<\/p>\n

Phonathons:<\/p>\n

Sunday, November 8, 2:30\u20135:00 PMSunday, December 9, 6:00\u20138:30 PM<\/p>\n

Trainings:<\/p>\n

Wednesday, October 28, 6:00\u20138:30 PMMonday, November 2, 6:00\u20138:30 PMWednesday, December 2, 6:00\u20138:30 PM<\/p>\n

Register here.<\/a><\/p>\n

And if you can\u2019t join us on the phones, please pick up when we call. The movement starts with us talking to each other.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ten years in the making. A bipartisan breakthrough. And a huge step toward opening Pennsylvania\u2019s primaries. This week,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":298535,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-298534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298534\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/298535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}