Primaries are elections that political parties use to select candidates for general elections. Opening primaries to more voters leads to higher voter participation rates and the selection of more moderate candidates.

A Nonpartisan primary is when all candidates are on one ballot, and any registered voter can participate. Only four states hold nonpartisan primaries (LA, AK, WA, and CA).

There are 3 types of partisan primary elections:

1. Open primaries allow any registered voter to participate, regardless of their party affiliation. Democrats can vote in Republican primaries, and vice-versa.  Unaffiliated/independent voters can ask for either ballot.
2. Semi-closed primaries allow unaffiliated/independent voters to cast their ballots in either Republican or Democratic primaries. But Republicans can only vote in Republican primaries, and Democrats can only vote in Democratic primaries.
3. Closed primaries only allow people registered with a political party to vote. Unaffiliated/Independent voters cannot participate in the primary election process.  These are the least fair elections.

As the ranks of independent and unaffiliated voters have grown, so have calls for more open primaries.  Today, roughly 50% of voters nationwide identify as independents. So, 27 million Americans registered as unaffiliated/independent voters can’t vote in any primary elections because they live in one of 11 states with completely closed primaries.

Final Five Instant Runoff General Election is a nonpartisan majority voting system that guarantees a candidate will win by majority rule in a general election with the top five or four finishers from a nonpartisan primary. Unlike a typical ballot where voters get to select only one candidate, Final Five / Four Instant Runoff General Election ballots let voters rank all candidates.

To understand Final Five / Four Instant Runoff General Elections, it is important to understand the difference between majority and plurality.

Majority: A majority is anything over 50%.
Plurality: A plurality is simply the most votes, and is often under 50%, especially in elections with many candidates.

Final Five / Four Instant Runoff General Elections are solely concerned with the majority.  With Final Five / Four Instant Runoff General Elections, if your candidate doesn’t finish in the top two, they’re eliminated, and your vote moves to your second-choice candidate.  This means your vote still counts, and a candidate most people actually prefer wins and therefore, democracy wins.

As the number of registered independents now nearly surpasses that of the two parties combined, Final Five / Four Instant Runoff is the only system that ensures everyone gets a voice.

Nonpartisan primaries, in conjunction with Final Five / Four Instant Runoff General Elections, are the best way to increase voter turnout, ensure responsible representation and connect popular will with political outcomes.

You have to look really hard to find a competitive election in America today.  Incumbents have so many built-in advantages they almost never lose.  In 2022, 84% of congressional races were landslides or uncontested.  In 2024, only 78 congressional races out of 435, are expected to be competitive.

Independent Commissions should decide congressional districts to prevent partisan gerrymandering and create more competitive and representative districts.  11 states use independent commissions to draw congressional maps (AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MD, MI, MT, NY, WA, WI). In 39 states, legislatures are in charge of redistricting.  

Gerrymandering is a process where district boundaries are deliberately manipulated to neutralize the threat of political opposition and confirm partisan advantages in statewide elections.  Redistricting is based on the census and states are required to update their district maps every 10 years to reflect demographic changes.