I live in Allegheny County, pay taxes and follow the issues — but when primary Election Day comes, I’m not allowed to vote. Why? Because I’m registered as an independent.
Pennsylvania’s closed primary system shuts out unaffiliated voters from taxpayer-funded elections that often decide the outcome. In Allegheny County, many races are effectively determined in the Democratic primary. By November, the result is often already set. That means voters like me have no say in who ultimately represents us.
Meanwhile, more than 1.3 million Pennsylvanians are registered as independent or unaffiliated. We fund the system, but we are excluded from it.
Most states allow independent voters to participate in primaries in some form, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Pennsylvania remains one of the few that does not.
If taxpayers are paying for elections, taxpayers should be allowed to vote in them. Anything less is not just unfair — it’s indefensible.
Tom Graf
Imperial