Oregon: Open Primary Initiative important for independents and third parties

Open primary would energize voters

Corvallis Gazette Times Editorial May 3, 2006-- Except for a few lawn signs, very little indicates that a primary election is less than two weeks away. That all would change if the proponents of open primaries, in which voters select whichever candidate they wish, regardless of whether the letter in front of that candidate’s name is R, D or — increasingly — I.
For it is the ranks of the independent voters that are swelling, according to elections officials across the state. Turnout in primaries also is small, as people decide not to participate when they already know their party’s candidate is running unopposed. ... Open primaries would encourage innovation and put the emphasis back on a candidate’s personal qualifications rather than his or her adherence to a pre-scripted party “core message.”
It won’t make our Democratic or Republican party leaders happy to hear this, but we’re ready for some new voices.
We do have one objection to this open primary plan: It contains the provision that only the top two winners from each primary race go on to the general election. That’s unfair to third-party candidates, and needs further refinement.
In 24 days, the Oregon Open Primary Campaign has to submit 80,000 signatures to the secretary of state to get this measure on ballot, and supporters are about 30,000 signatures shy..... more