Guest Editorial:

Give voters chance to open primaries.

Eight months post-election, Congress is tangled in stalemates and the president continues to fancifully wax on about millions of illegal voters. His misnamed Advisory Commission on Election Integrity held its first hearing last week after making a giant grab for voter data.

Here’s one antidote: In Florida, we have a shot at improving elections, if the Constitution Revision Commission listens to the citizens who speak out about what ails our state.

As several residents have already argued in public hearings, let’s give voters the chance to consider a constitutional amendment allowing open primaries, ending the very undemocratic closed primary blockade. Dozens of other states already allow this.

With independents surpassing a quarter of voters, it’s time to give them a ballot at the front end of elections, not block them from major party primaries. Given gerrymandering and political segregation, primaries often determine races. With closed primaries, candidates tend to cater to the extremes and typically moderate independents get stuck in general elections with the pick of each party’s hard line.

As one resident argued in public commission hearings, elections are taxpayer funded, so why not let everyone participate — not just those willing to self-identify as beholden to one party . ...

Closed-primary advocates, and the tricksters who manage to close one-candidate primaries by filing phony write-in candidacies to simply hinder the participation of independents, claim they deserve the freedom to associate only with their party faithful. No, that’s not freedom. That’s discrimination against those who don’t want to be beholden to one party or publicly declare a party preference.

Prepare to hear plenty of concocted, disturbing scenarios against a liberalization of primaries. Closed-primary fans say allowing independents to choose a party ballot could lead to orchestrated campaigns to elect the weakest candidate of the opposition or, conversely, to drum out the party’s most hard-line contenders by backing a moderate.

What they don’t admit is that party-crossing is easy now, too. Simply register in the opposite party and do as you wish. Closed primary states are well-familiar with the RINO (Republicans in Name Only) phenomenon, for example, in red states where the primary determines all. Same goes in Democratic strongholds.

The sensible shift is open primaries, allowing independents to choose a primary ballot and fully participate in our democracy. Schemers will always be present. But open primaries welcome greater participation, giving more voices a say.

This change can be accomplished swiftly by the Constitution Revision Commission . ... The commission’s authority allows it to put amendments on the 2018 ballot without the oversight of the Legislature. The other roads to change — legislative action or initiative petition — are longer hauls.

This commission got off to a rocky start, and only recently settled on rules and committees. It can help repair its reputation by taking to heart its duties to listen and act in the best interests of the state. At an Orlando public hearing, for example, members heard a simple plea that likely resonates with many: “I would like to see an open primary in Florida so that the primary candidates will go towards what the majority of Americans are; they’re moderates. They’re willing to compromise, unlike our politicians in Washington.” ...

While President Trump’s team fails to mention interest in ideas to increase voter participation, it would be a class act for the Florida commission to recommend stronger voter rights by easing access to primary ballots . ...