This page was last updated on April 25, 2016.
Primary election process disenfranchises many voters; Mike Rogalla; Beaver County Times; April 20, 2016.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“As the Pennsylvania primary approaches, once again the news media is awash with various pundits opining about the expected low voter turnout.
“However, there is usually no mention of the many disenfranchised voters. Specifically, those not allowed to participate in the in the primary election because they are not a member of either the Republican or Democrat political party.”
[RWC] Not true. PA currently recognizes 14 political parties. As most of us would expect, a voter must be a registered member of a political party to vote for that party’s primary candidates. That’s true for all parties, not just the Democrat and Republican parties. Why should registered members of the Workers World Party get to choose who will represent the Communist Party of Eastern Pennsylvania in the general election?
“Recently, in response to objections related to how some of the delegate selection processes have been carried out in other states, I have heard it stated that the political parties are private, not public, organizations and, therefore, are free to select delegates and candidates by whatever means they wish to employ.”
[RWC] This is pretty much true, though I believe some states may have. Also, not all state parties have the same process. That is, one state’s Bob party leadership may simply appoint a candidate, while Bob party voters may choose another state’s candidate.
“It seems to me that if participation in the Pennsylvania primary election is restricted to only members of private organizations, these private organizations should bear the costs associated with these events, rather than the tax payers of Pennsylvania.”
[RWC] Though I didn’t verify the facts, “The Story Behind Why You Have to Pay for Party Primaries” is interesting.
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