Poll: More than half of Arizonans support a nonpartisan ballot in primaries

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Poll: More than half of Arizonans support a nonpartisan ballot in primaries (By Joanne Ingram, Cronkite News) More than half of Arizonans support switching from partisan primaries to a nonpartisan ballot that would send the highest-polling candidates on to the general election regardless of party affiliation, according to a poll released Monday by a public policy research group.
• S.C. high court hears arguments over how to finance GOP primary (By NBC's Ali Weinberg, msnbc) The Supreme Court today heard arguments in a lawsuit, brought by four South Carolina counties, claiming that the South Carolina Republican Party should cover the entire cost of conducting the 2012 primary election. Until 2008, the primaries here were considered private affairs, funded by state parties. But during 2008’s wide-open primary, the legislature approved a law authorizing the use of taxpayer funds for the Republican and Democratic presidential primaries.