Democracy in the District should not be a question. Sadly, it still is. Though DC has been denied full and appropriate representation in the federal government for 218 years, the District has enjoyed increasing degrees of local democracy for thirty-five years. Yet, remnants of a broken system remain denying 17% of District residents the right to vote in primary elections. This is because DC law forbids independents from participating in primary elections and forbids parties from determining who can vote in their primary elections. This unconstitutional measure must be overturned and that is why I applaud the efforts of Councilmember Catania (At Large) for his introduction of the Open Primary Act of 2008.
Without question, it is the prerogative of the parties to determine how their District residents will select their respective nominees, but DC government must not make this choice for them. I believe open primaries provide the best method for allowing all District residents to select the competing candidates for the general election. Regardless of one’s political affiliation, we can all agree that this year’s presidential candidates are among the most impressive in years, and many analysts agree that independents have been a key factor in producing such an excellent selection.
2 comments:
I am glad to hear that someone is looking out for the independents! Most years, not voting in the primaries isn't an issue. This year it sure as heck was and I would have loved the opportunity to do so! And while I could just pick a party that best reflects my interests, I am still stuck voting for that party in the primary. I just assume have an open primary and let the registered voters vote!
Are you still running? You haven't updated or posted anything on your blog or website in a couple of months...
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