This was a huge year for the Open Primaries movement. Thanks to all of you, 7 states and our nation’s capital debated primary reform at the ballot. Despite massive negative campaigns from both the Democratic and Republican parties, millions of voters cast ballots in favor of letting all voters vote in the first round of elections. Tens of millions more learned why we need to reform our primary elections for the first time. Two big wins at the ballot in Washington DC and Alaska has helped temper tough losses in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and South Dakota.
As a movement, we grew and we learned…
New leaders, new advocates and new endorsers stepped up from across the political spectrum. Dozens of prominent editorial boards, bloggers, podcasters and community leaders endorsed our efforts. Business leaders invested tens of millions of dollars.
We learned there are no short short cuts when it comes to reforming our primary system. We need to educate, inspire, and activate before we ask for a “yes” vote.
We learned that the political parties will fight tooth and nail to maintain their broken system.
We learned that our core message – fairness for all voters – needs to sync with voters’ desire to move our country forward. Ours is not a “get back to the good old days” movement – it’s about forward progress, innovation, and people power.
We learned that our core message – fairness for all voters – inspires people. Millions of people joined us this year and stood up to a literal pressure cooker of partisan negativity.
We learned that independent voters – the largest and fastest growing segment of the electorate – are independent for a reason. They are a mindset, not a party, and the more we can meet them where they are, organize them to tell their stories about why they became independent, and give them tools to speak and lead – the more success our movement will have.
We have so much to consolidate. In 2025, we will be recruiting tens of thousands of independent voters through our “Let Us Vote” platform, supporting Vote Yes on 835 in Oklahoma and legislative efforts in a half dozen states, getting into court in at least one state and hopefully many more, educating millions of voters about just how uncompetitive our elections have become, building partnerships with all kinds of organizations, and working with local committees to develop innovative tactics to bring millions of Americans into this important conversation.
We’re. Just. Getting. Started!
Thank you to everyone in the OP network and community who did so much this year. Your leadership is inspiring.
John Opdycke
Open Primaries President
