Kentucky Open Primaries Loses a Round in Senate; Supporters Vow to Continue Fight

From IndependentKentucky.com

March 1, 2011 SB 41 was called in to the House committee of Elections, Constitutional Amendments & intergovernmental Affairs for a hearing. Sen. Jimmy Higdon (R) who sponsored the bill was able to overcome objections and accusations brought up by certain committee members. However the vote ended up 1 Yes vote shy of passing out of committee.

Darryl Owens Chairman of the committee and a Louisville Democrat said it is “a bad bill. Every person has the right to register how they choose. The primaries are to advance the parties’ agenda to pick the best candidates for their party.” Rep. Owens voted “No” as well as Rep. Larry Clark Speaker Pro Tem.

Independent Kentucky Chairman Michael P.W. Lewis who was unable to attend today’s hearing responded by phone saying “Nowhere in our National or state constitution does it state that the two major political parties own Kentucky’s primaries. The primaries are the tax-payer funded crucial first-round elections in which the conversation is shaped, the issues are defined, and the voters begin to make themselves heard.” Agreeing with Chairman Lewis were 5 State Representatives, 4 Republicans and 1 Democrat. (Yes votes were Brathcer, Fisher, Comer, Harmon & Henley).

Representing Independent Kentucky and the 192,000+ Independent voters was Co-Chair Alexander Kemble. Even after the defeat he seems positive and upbeat about the bills progress. Co-Chair Kemble stated "Even though our bill didn't pass through committee, this is still a small win for Independents. We received one more 'yes' over the last year, if we can get one more 'yes' for next year, we can finally get this bill to the House floor for more discussion. There are still nearly 200,000 Independents left out of part of the process here in Kentucky."

With no certain destination other than the legislative graveyard for 2011 Independent Kentucky sends it’s thanks to the many supporters that have worked to get out the information and made calls to their Representatives in Frankfort. We would also like to give a special thanks to the collations of organizations that helped spread the word, Norm Davis & “Take Back Kentucky”, Clint Hardy & “Take Back Louisville”, Josh Koch of “Kentucky Freedom Digest”.  The Local Radio show like “My View Matters” “Kentuckana GrassRoots Radio” and “Issues First” Radio Thank YOU!

P.S.

Independent Kentucky would like to remind you that even though SB41 is likely done, our work for next year’s legislative session starts today!

KENTUCKY SB 41 - OPEN PRIMARY

• Bill to let independents vote in primaries dies (Written by Joseph Gerth, Louisville Courier Journal) Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, its sponsor, has said independent voters are being disenfranchised because they are allowed to cast primary ballots only in judicial races and in some cities' municipal elections.
• Open Primary Bill Defeated (Tony McVeigh, WUKY - NPR) Higdon's bill passed the Senate 23-13 last month, but fell one vote shy of passage in a House committee. Higdon says he will keep trying because there are 200,000 independent voters in Kentucky who want to fully participate in the state's electoral process.
• House panel kills bill to let independents vote in primary elections (By Jack Brammer, Lexington Herald Leader)
• Higdon Says He’ll Try Again With Open Primary Bill (Tony McVeigh, WFPL)
• Bill to let independents vote in primaries fails (WAVE 3 - NB)
• Bill to let independents vote in primaries fails (Bruce Schreiner, RealClearPolitics) Higdon said registered independents are "wanting to be heard" in partisan primary elections, but acknowledged that some Republicans and Democrats share an "uneasiness" about the possible consequences.
• Kentucky Bill to Let Independents Vote in Partisan Primaries Loses in Committee, 5-4 (Ballot Access News)

Kentucky SB 41: A Dent in the Armor

Semi-open primaries are better than completely closed primaries, and that's what independents in Kentucky are going to have to settle for for now as Kentucky's SB 41 was approved in the Senate allowing independents who are registered the year before a primary to vote. Not quite there yet but it is a crack in the wall.

Headway is being made in Utah as well, as prominent Utahans such as their former Gov. Olene Walker are calling for redistricting reform for the upcoming drawing, specifically, an independent commission to do the job. Utah has been long considered to be one of the least competitive states due to favorable GOP districts.
OPEN PRIMARIES

• Kentucky Bill for a Semi-Closed Primary Passes Committee (Ballot Access News) On February 2, the Senate State and Local Government Committee passed SB 41, by Senator Jimmy Higdon (R-Lebanon). It says that independent voters, and also members of unqualified parties, may vote in partisan primaries.

ELECTION REFORM

• Don’t make it harder to vote in Wisconsin (Cap Times editorial - WI) Thanks to open primaries and a tradition of ticket splitting, our parties have historically been more ideologically and regionally diverse than in other states. Thus, Republican governors like Tommy Thompson and Scott Walker have been able to find former Democratic legislators to serve in their administrations.

OBAMA

• Prez tops Palin, Newt in S.C. — not Mitt, Huck (By JUANA SUMMERS, Politico) Obama doesn’t do well with South Carolina’s independent voters, who make up 22 percent of the electorate. Obama has a 39 percent approval rating with unaffiliated voters, compared with 54 percent disapproving.

UTAH

• Group proposes independent panel to study Utah redistricting (BY LADD BRUBAKER, The Salt Lake Tribune) A nonpartisan group of prominent Utahns is calling on the Legislature to create an independent commission as part of the upcoming redistricting — a redrawing of political boundaries that happens every 10 years… Buoyed by a recent Salt Lake Tribune poll indicating that 73 percent of Utahns support an independent redistricting commission, organizers plan to draw up their own redistricting proposals and hold statewide public meetings to generate pressure on legislators.
• Don't Count Out Moderate Republican Jon Huntsman (By Solomon Kleinsmith, WNYC/It's A Free Country - Read. Argue. Listen. Act.) The trick will be getting those voters to the primaries and caucuses in enough numbers to at least keep him in the game, and use the open primary states, where independents can vote for him without changing registration, to put him over the top. With no contest going on for the left or moderate independents, those states will be much more likely to make their voices heard for him.

NEW YORK

• Gresham and Mulgrew, two top labor leaders, broken faith with Gov. Cuomo and New Yorkers (EDITORIAL NY Daily News) Gresham and Mulgrew joined fully aware that Cuomo was committed to closing the state's $10 billion deficit by cutting out-of-control spending, and without resorting to tax hikes. But when Cuomo kept his pledge Tuesday, Gresham and Mulgrew abandoned theirs.A Senate flashback (Albany Times Union) Why, it was June of 2009, the summer of the coup and the counter-coup. Richard Ravitch had yet to be appointed lieutenant governor. So Sen. Pedro Espada -- remember him? -- was claiming that, as president pro tempore, he effectively could cast two votes on behalf of the Republicans to whom he'd temporarily defected. He would vote as a member of the state Senate. And then he would vote again, as the acting lieutenant governor. The GOP would rule, all right.
• Independence Party Chimes In On Budget (Posted by: Nick Reisman, Politics on the Hudson) The state Independence Party Chairman Frank MacKay gave his thumbs on the budget proposal released by Gov. Andrew Cuomo this week.
• Big money, small issues (By Dylan Matthews, Washington Post/Ezra Klein) Tom Golisano isn't a particularly big name with people who aren't New York political junkies. He's basically Ross Perot writ small. He's a billionaire who founded a third party (the Independence Party), ran for governor a few times and did surprisingly well, and holds idiosyncratic but generally center-right views. His latest project has more national ramifications. He's apparently bankrolling efforts to implement the National Popular Vote plan, a work-around meant to abolish the Electoral College without amending the Constitution.
• A Senate flashback (Albany Times Union) Why, it was June of 2009, the summer of the coup and the counter-coup. Richard Ravitch had yet to be appointed lieutenant governor. So Sen. Pedro Espada -- remember him? -- was claiming that, as president pro tempore, he effectively could cast two votes on behalf of the Republicans to whom he'd temporarily defected. He would vote as a member of the state Senate. And then he would vote again, as the acting lieutenant governor. The GOP would rule, all right.

EDUCATION REFORM

• CHAVOUS: The new Rosa Parks - A parent risking jail for better schools signals a time for choice (By Kevin P. Chavous -The Washington Times) Clearly, something is happening in the push to reform American schools, and it is not going away. Slowly, but ever so surely, parents are injecting themselves into the discussion.