New Election Bill Has a Huge Problem

The Daily Haymaker has a great post about an elections bill that is in the process of getting passed by the NC House. It has a number of good provisions. However, one provision is very bad.

It requires that all political parties in North Carolina allow unaffiliated (or independent) voters to vote in their primary elections. This is referred to as an “open primary”.

This is a horrible idea because it tends to water down the ideological commitment of the candidate who ultimately prevails. It also tends to invite mischief on the part of candidates and voters.

Open primaries have helped produce bad Republican candidates in the past. Over the years, we have become extremely accustomed to milquetoast moderate Republican candidates. This is the norm. The Haymaker suggests that the GOP establishment WANTS open primaries.

But this type of primary is lethal for small parties with a certain ideological perspective– for instance, the Libertarian Party, the Green Party, the Constitution Party and others. Open primaries would defeat their entire reason for existence because relatively small numbers of malevolent players could easily hijack the party.

I am part of the Constitution Party and we oppose this provision. Let’s hope the Republican legislators come to their senses and eliminate it.