Hankster News for Independent Voters - Feb 11

INDEPENDENT VOTERS
EVENT: The Parties Versus the People: How to Turn Republicans and Democrats into Americans
February 28, 2013 7 p.m. - 12 a.m.
National Archives Building - William G. McGowan Theater
700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20408

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Bill sponsor wants to encourage higher voter turnout in primary elections (By Marjorie Cortez, Deseret News) Are primary elections strictly a political party function, or should the state continue the practice of allowing people to declare party affiliation at the polls so they can participate? Members of the Utah Senate were divided on the issue during debate on HB262 Thursday. Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, argued that the practice has not been abused and should become a permanent part of state law. The practice has been allowed under law with sunset provisions.
• Democratic Lawmakers Reveal Five Part Initiative To Revamp Idaho’s Voting System (By Samantha Wright, Boise State Public Radio) #3. Force political parties that hold a closed primary to pay the cost of the election.  That’s a response to the Idaho Republican Party closing its primary last year.  “The Private Election Taxpayer Compensation Act takes the burden of paying for a closed primary off of our citizens,” says Werk, “and rightfully places the burden onto the political party that has voluntarily closed its primary election.”
• Opinion: Daley's Open Primary Plan Aims at Madigan (By Edward McClelland, NBC Chicago) [Richard Daley's] son, who is thinking of running for governor next year, is proposing a non-partisan primary, in which a candidate who receives 50 percent of the vote automatically wins the election. If no one gets a majority, the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the general election. Identical to the system now in place for Chicago’s municipal elections, it would eliminate meaningless general elections and extend contentious party primaries into November.
• Lawmaker wants to do away with primary runoffs (The Associated Press, Daily Advance, Elizabeth City NC) Under state law, a second place finisher may request a runoff if no candidate in the primary wins at least 40 percent of the vote. Floyd would do away with the 40 percent requirement in favor of winner-take-all primaries.