For 10 years, Independent Voter Leaders and Reform Activists have been pushing for Primary Reform in Pennsylvania. Finally, Legislative Leaders are listening and agree that the time has come to Let All Voters Vote.
State Senate President Pro-Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25th District, Jefferson) announced that he would introduce Legislation to create Semi-Closed Primaries.
Scarnati is lending his support to opening up Pennsylvania’s Primary Elections to Independent and Non-Affiliated Voters and creating a Semi-Closed Primary system. Party Members can only vote in their Party Primary, but Independent and Non-Affiliated Voters can select any Party's Primary Ballot.
Currently there are 746,711 Independent and Non-Affiliated Voters.
House Majority Leader Dave Reed (R-62nd District) has also expressed support for Changes to the way Pennsylvania conducts its Primaries.
Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D-43rd District) and other Democratic Lawmakers have expressed Support for this Change.
This is good news and could represent a real opportunity. We are coordinating with the redistricting reform movement in Pennsylvania, who are themselves facing a critical July 6th deadline for legislative approval to move forward with gerrymandering reform.
As Open Primaries President John Opdycke, and Committee of 70 President David Thornburgh assert in their recent Editorial for the Philadelphia Inquirer, both Reforms are critical to establishing Equal Voting Rights in Pennsylvania.
Jennifer Bullock of Independent Pennsylvanians is mobilizing Supporters to write Letters to the Editor in Support of Scarnati and Reed’s proposed Legislation.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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