Monday, February 28, 2011

The Oklahoma Observer: Voting Rights Denied for Independents in Primaries

"Women were given the right to vote. People of all races were given the right to vote. Those 18-years-old were given the right to vote.It was well past time that these Americans were given the right to vote. And when this right was given there were no restrictions placed on what party, if any, they were to affiliate themselves with. Nor were there any restrictions placed on which elections they could cast their votes. This is as it should be.
But this isn’t true for the more than 250,000 registered independents in Oklahoma. These voters have been denied the right to vote in primary elections just because they choose not to affiliate with either of the major political parties. This isn’t right.
Why should independents be penalized because leaders of the Democratic or Republican parties say they should be? Who gave them the right to deny anyone from voting? Who made them God?
Independents are not wing nuts or whackos just because they don’t follow a specific political party line. More often than not, they vote for candidates of the major parties. They strive to choose the best from each party. That alone should make their vote more palatable and worthy. They aren’t necessarily pushing for a third party. They just want fairness and equality in the voting process.
In the last presidential and congressional elections, political pundits and TV talking heads made much of the impact independents would have on the outcome of these elections. This impact is continuing to grow and more people are choosing to be independent in their political thinking and voting. ...
Rep. Eric Proctor, D-Tulsa, has introduced legislation [HB 1287, assigned to the House Rules Committee] that would allow independents to vote in presidential primaries. This is a start, but only a totally open primary where independents can vote is what’s needed to bring Oklahoma into the 21st Century politically. Unfortunately, a vote on his bill has been stifled by GOP legislators who have also added a plank in their party’s platform that denies the right of independents to vote in primary elections."
The entire article, with commenting, is at http://www.okobserver.net/2011/02/28/voting-rights-denied/
Oklahoma bill HB 1287 was assigned to the House Rules Committee for markup.


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