Nebraska needs Open Primaries.
There is a problem with the way elections are conducted in Nebraska.
Currently, state law shuts out more than 286,000 registered Nebraska voters, mostly independents and nonpartisans, from participating in primary elections that they pay for with their tax dollars. Many of these voters are military veterans.
Join us in opening our primaries to all Nebraskans by signing up today to support a ballot initiative to put the power back in the hands of taxpayers
Why are so many people left out of our primary elections?
Nebraska is a closed-primary election state, meaning voters must register with one of the two main political parties in order to cast a ballot in primary elections. Anyone who is registered Independent or third-party is stuck waiting until the General Election to vote.
Closed Primaries don’t reflect Nebraska’s values.
Regardless of personal politics, Nebraskans pride themselves in being fair, competitive, and hard-working people who want to see tax dollars used efficiently and effectively.
Our current primary election system is unfair, uncompetitive and imposes taxation without participation. It also compels our elected officials to be most responsive to the most vocal elements of their political party base, not to the electorate as a whole. This gives politics a priority over policy, and that rarely leads to good outcomes.
Nebraska has a unique, independent history. Our Unicameral Legislature was designed by Sen. George Norris to mitigate the influence of political party bosses on election outcomes. The closed primary system runs counter to values of openness, competition, and direct representation.
Open Primary Elections is the Solution.
Nebraskans for Better Governance supports Open Primary elections as the best way to reform our unfair election system by providing equal access to all qualified, registered voters and giving Nebraskans more choices in who represents us.
Open Primary elections would allow all Nebraska voters to cast a vote in every election they help fund. The top two candidates would be selected by all voters in an open primary, and would then advance to the general election. We already use this “Top Two” model in primary elections for Unicameral candidates.
Changing our primary election system would also make our elected officials compete to earn everyone’s vote.
Join Nebraskans for Better Governance and support bringing Open Primaries here to create competitive, free, and fair elections for all Nebraska voters.
