You’re talking about listing all of the candidates on a single ballot for the first round of voting. Louisiana is the only state that elects all of its STATE officials that way. And Louisiana, which alone has elected its CONGRESSIONAL officials that way, is restoring party primaries for those elections, starting in 2008.

I think this article will answer most if not all of your questions.

If you would like to correspond with me, my address is linked to my blog profile.

~~ Steve Rankin
Jackson, Mississippi

“A challenge “If all the names of candidates that were defeated in the primary election of August 2007 in Mississippi were to be placed on the ballott in November’s General election, you woulld see a different turn out of voters and a different selection of candidates.

This would be a great comparision to determine the most fair way for elections to be held. I would like to know when this law went into effect and compare the percentages of voters then and after the change and now, what seems to be the down fall of voter turn out.

Myrna Bourgeois

I would like to know how this can be change.

It’s interesting that, in asking the court to dismiss the suit, the state makes no mention of Renne v. Geary. This was the 1991 case in which the US Supreme Court ruled that a bunch of political party activists and party officers didn’t have standing to challenge a California law that forbade parties from endorsing candidates in non-partisan elections.

No. 7-C of the Utah Republican Party Bylaws says that unaffiliated voters are eligible to vote in Republican presidential primaries.

The point I was making there was that, under the U. S. Supreme Court’s 1986 ruling, each party is free to invite independent/unaffiliated voters to participate in its primaries. In West Virginia, e.g., the Republicans have been inviting registered independents into their primaries for several years now, and the Democrats recently decided to also invite independents.

Of course, when a state has an open primary law, the state is forcing parties to allow ANY voter to participate in their primaries– which is why I’m convinced that the courts will ultimately outlaw the state-mandated open primary.

The purpose of party registration is to identify voters. It’s the most practical way of identifying voters, which is why 29 states now have party registration. There is a “party affiliation” box on the voter registration form, and the applicant checks one of the parties listed or “unaffiliated.”

The reason that the bill in the 2007 Idaho legislature was unconstitutional was that it would have FORCED the parties to allow independent/unaffiliated voters into their primaries.

The bottom line is that once the state-mandated open primary is gone, each party will be free to determine who votes in its primaries.

Article Xll Section 5

B. Only voters who are registered Republicans may vote in a Republican primary election.
http://home.utgop.org/page.php?page_id=6

That doesn’t appear to invite independents to vote in their primary elections.

I agree the bill mentioned above COULD have been challenged by a political party and may have been thrown out as it did require all voters to to register by party or indicate, “independent.” That particular aspect has not been fully adjudicated, however.

There is a large difference in a state requirement that ALL voters register by party or express no party preference as opposed to a law that provides that NO voters register by party notwithstanding the express rules of a valid political party regarding participation in that party candidate selection process.

The legislature could repeal the open primary law. It also has the options of 1) enacting party registration and 2) prohibiting the parties from inviting members of opposing parties to vote in their primaries. Otherwise, once the state-mandated open primary is gone, it’s up to each party as to who votes in its primary.

In 1986, the U. S. Supreme Court gave parties the right to invite independents to vote in their primaries. (Tashjian v. Republican Party of Connecticut) This choice is up to each party: the state cannot force the parties to invite independents.

Utah, e.g., has party registration. The Republicans there invite independents to vote in their primaries. The Democrats, on the other hand, have open primaries: ALL voters– even registered Republicans– are invited. (A voter, of course, may vote in only one party’s primary.)