OKLAHOMA PRIMARIES – OPEN, CLOSED, OR NONE AT ALL?
by Scott Jessen (Received via email- reprinted with permission)
OKLAHOMA
PRIMARIES – OPEN, CLOSED, OR NONE AT ALL?
Summary:
Political Parties are private clubs.
Primaries are taxpayer-funded elections where private clubs
choose their representation in General Elections.
So, members of Party A pay for Party B to choose their
candidate and those not affiliated with any Party pay for them all. Instead of
passing a taxpayer-funded Constitutional Amendment to force private clubs to
allow non-members to vote in their internal selection process, why not adopt a
system where the private clubs pay for their own processes?
Details:
1) “Political
Party”:
Britannica: “a group of
persons organized to…exercise political power” Essentially: Private clubs.
“.COM” and “.ORG” websites, not “.GOV”. (https://democrats.org/ & https://www.gop.com/) 2) “Independent”
Non-party-affiliated voter
Chose to not join one of the
private clubs
NOTE:
Registering with a Party or as an Independent is free at OK
Voter Portal.
3) “Primary”:
Merriam Webster:
“…qualified voters nominate…candidate…”. Essentially: Private clubs choosing
who represents them.
4) “Open” Primary:
Merriam Webster:
“…voter is not required to indicate party…”.
Essentially: Club A can choose Club B’s candidate.
a) Voters?
All.
5) “Closed” Primary:
Merriam Webster:
“…members of only one political party vote”.
Essentially: Club A chooses their own candidate.
a) Voters?
All registered party members.
NOTE:
In Oklahoma's “Modified, Closed”
Primary system, Parties can allow Independents to vote in their private club’s
process. The Democratic Party allows Independents in their club’s process.
6) “General” Election:
Merriam Webster:
“…candidates are elected in all or most constituencies…”.
Party affiliation is not solicited.
a) Voters?
All.
Taxpayers pay for Primaries.
Parties pay for Caucuses.
Recap:
Primaries / Caucuses are the only elections where private
club (Party) affiliation is solicited.
In General Elections, anyone can vote for anyone.
If you want to influence Club A’s choice, join
their club.
Why do we force taxpayers to
pay for any
private club’s internal processes?
Printed on November 22, 2024
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