Open Primaries
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Open Primaries is a movement of diverse Americans who believe no American should be required to join a political party to exercise his or her right to vote
More than 1.2 million independent New Yorkers were shut out of today's primary elections.
That's why we're encouraged to see the issue getting national attention.
In a recent segment on NOW, Vitali spoke with Open Primaries President John Opdycke about the growing movement for open primaries and the millions of voters excluded from meaningful elections across the country.
The segment also highlighted new polling from Open Primaries showing that 60% of NYC Democrats support allowing independents to vote in the 2028 Democratic presidential primary.
Watch the segment below.
Ahead of New York's primary election, Open Primaries Senior Vice President Jeremy Gruber joined News 12 to discuss a simple question:
Why are 1.2 million independent New Yorkers still locked out of taxpayer-funded primary elections?
As the city's Charter Revision Commission considers reforms, now is the time for New Yorkers to speak up and demand a more inclusive democracy.
đŸ“£ Sign up to testify at an upcoming hearing:
https://bit.ly/4ov1t1f
06/21/2026
For years, we've warned that closed primaries and partisan gerrymandering are creating a Congress that rewards party loyalty and punishes independent thinking.
Now elected officials from across the political spectrum are saying the same thing.
A major new NPR report examines how safe districts and closed primaries are reshaping Congress—and why lawmakers like Brian Fitzpatrick, Lisa Murkowski, and Bill Cassidy believe the current system makes compromise harder and polarization worse.
The debate over open primaries is no longer a fringe issue.
It's becoming a central question about the future of American democracy.
Read more:
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/30/nx-s1-5839201/party-primaries-polarized-congress
How single-party primary elections are reshaping Congress Some lawmakers are speaking out against closed, single-party primaries, which they see as part of a system that limits voter choice and incentivizes elected officials to prioritize party loyalty.
"I pay taxes. I vote. But on Primary Day, I wasn't allowed to participate."
That's the reality for 2.4 million independent voters in New Jersey.
On June 2, voters across the state showed up to cast a ballot in a publicly funded election and learned they were locked out because they don't belong to a political party.
Hear directly from one New Jersey voter about what that experience feels like.
If elections are public, participation should be too.
06/18/2026
For the first time in state history, New Mexico's independent voters could participate in a primary election.
But winning the right to vote was only the beginning.
In a new interview with KRWG, Open Primaries National Organizing Director Cathy Stewart explains why voter education remains essential, how independent voters are adapting to their new rights, and why the movement for more representative elections is far from over.
As Cathy puts it: "We went from zero to 5%."
For voters who were excluded for generations, that's a breakthrough worth celebrating.
Read more:
Group urges states including New Mexico to open primaries New Mexico's Independent and "decline to state" voters had their first chance to vote in a primary; Cathy Stewart of Open Primaries and Let Us Vote says election officials have some work to do.
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