With the recent kerfuffle over the ‘Statement of Intent” on the Virginia Republican Primary ballot, I’ve heard over and over that we need voter registration by political party in Virginia. That won’t happen because having open primaries is another form of ‘incumbent protection’ so of course the General Assembly isn’t about to pass a law that changes their advantage in primaries.
Thirty-one states have voter registration by party but that doesn’t always mean primary voting is only open to those who registered for a particular party. Which explains the wide variation in party registration in the chart below from the Huffington Post.
Based on nationwide data in 2014, 39% of voters identify as independents, 32% as Democrats and 23% as Republicans. Much more information on the demographics of party identification here.
18 comments
Virginia and RPV have slid into a cartel arrangement similar to the establishment and RNC in Washington, DC. Virginians have allowed the power elite in the state to shape the political space into a self-serving machine that ranges from incumbents deciding their method of nomination; open elections allowing non-Republicans to help in their nomination process; Gerrymandered Republican Districts to motivate Democrats to cross over and ensure the big government Republican gets renominated/elected; unlimited campaign contributions in state elections; keeping RPV small to control it all; etc. The list goes on.
The effect is no accountability to the electorate as long as the goodies keep flowing into the coffers of the rich and powerful. Couple that with powerful House and Senate Caucuses that suck up all the money and their crony political consultant buddies and is it any wonder why the Establishment will do anything possible to keep their money and power flowing. They would just as soon destroy RPV, than to let Conservatives reform it.
On the national level, most Establishment types would much prefer Hillary and their reserved seat at the money trough, than to let a principled Conservative try and save the country. RINO’s dislike Socialism only to the extent that they may lose their minority seat at the table.
Heavy, but it had to be said.
Don’t be so quick to throw in the towel. I have spoken with a number of our legislators and others in positions of leadership, and there is considerable support for this idea. Legislation will be submitted again this year, and I believe it will gain a lot of traction. It might not happen this year, but we will continue to move the ball forward.
Don’t fool yourself nor attempt to fool others. That idea is dead on arrival.
You are correct sir. Electeds in Richmond are not going to pass a law that is not in their best interests.
Not if we leave them to their own devices. Let’s start with the virtual tar and feathering of each and every one of them that doesn’t support repealing and replacing the incumbent protection act.
I don’t believe I’m fooling myself or anyone else. I have found enthusiastic support for the idea with nearly every legislator I have spoken with, among members of the RPV leadership, and members of the SCC. I expect there to be some resistance, but DOA it is not.
And that’s why our Conservative HoD is better than our Congressional Surrender Monkeys.
Ask people that live in Maryland if party identification means anything. It doesn’t. It is as simple as sending a letter to the local election board to change your party identification. You can do this everyday if you want to. It is a meaningless intrusion by the state into what is essentially a function of a private organization.
What is needed are closed primaries coupled with an actual Virginia (RPV) membership system for Republican members in good standing that are allowed to vote in our primaries. We want real Republicans voting in our primaries, not someone who changes their party identification just far enough ahead of a primary to be allowed to vote.
If you need an organizational model to draw parallels, take a look at the way labor unions run their elections. You must be a member of that specific union and present a government issued photo id to vote in their elections.
Bbbbbbut then you’d have to have some skin in that game of nominee picking.
my impression of why republicans have not sought to close primaries is so that they can get RINO’s and moderates elected by cross over voters. that is why they were apoplectic when there was a convention with last governors race. The establishment wanted Bolling. Now the establishment wants to get rid of Trump (fat chance) so they are going to bully voters at the voting booth and apparently throw out absentee ballots w/o pledges. I hope the GOP goes away and is replaced by a real, pro- American party. Tired of their corruption and elitist attitudes, especially in Va.
Hope rarely leads to change on its own.
You want it fixed? Go in and join those trying to do the same.
Why doesn’t Virginia? Come on now is there really anyone who doesn’t know the answer to that question? Why is Virginia the only state in the union that has an election law on the books that even remotely resembles § 24.2-509 allowing incumbent state candidates to select their own re-election process? If the RPV even supported this concept at the state committee level (which I have my doubts they would) it would require a GA vote and passage to enact. I always question when individuals reject the notion that there is any significant cross over party voting at the state level – why then has the GA cling so tenaciously to the rejection of party registration in Virginia? I suppose there could be other logical reasons but I have difficulty coming up with them myself. Change is close to impossible in a hermetically closed environment like Richmond politics UNLESS you know the “secret seal”, discovered as ancient history claims by the legendary alchemist, Hermes Trismegistus. I’ll give you a hint though, in this case it’s voting out of Richmond some, if not most of the notorious elected office clingers, o’wait then that of course leads you back to § 24.2-509. If it weren’t so bad for the state you could almost admire the creation of a self perpetuating machine. They claim this type of machine is impossible, as it violates both the first and second law of thermodynamics, but NOT here in Virginia.
The RPV, and SCC, the electeds, and all the units downstream pay little more than lip service to correcting this travesty! It’s our own darn fault.
This could be finished in a couple of election/nomination cycles if we had the will.
Many people, at every level, do not want this ‘corrected’ because they don’t see it needing correction.
Ok, then let’s help these people by showing them how correcting this is in their best political interest.
It’s not in the best interest of those who make the laws.
Then perhaps they should be moved to a condition where they no longer do so.