by Colleen Ely

Created on: May 08, 2008

Voting is so much more than party affiliation. For every one person who crosses over out of spite, or deceit, I believe the numbers are minimal compared to those who cross over out concern and true care for this nation. To deny a few mischief-makers is not a valid reason to deny honest people who just want their voices heard.

The problem with closed primaries, or not allowing people to cross party lines is very simple. It means each of us, as individuals, must fit into a perfect political box without the ability to think beyond the core values, to which, we most relate. Certainly, some of us could live with that; but it is evidenced among Independent voters, Reagan Democrats, and now Obamicans, not everyone fits so neatly into such restrictive categories. There are those who strongly oppose abortion who also strongly oppose the death penalty. That is just one example of opposing platforms. Should those people be forced to only vote for party, rather than person? If so, which party? What about the Baptist mother of a gay son who opposes gay marriage due to religious beliefs, but still believes her son is entitled to the same rights as a heterosexual couple due to basic principles of freedom and equality? Which party most suits her?

With closed primaries, and closed primaries only, the people who don't fit neatly into a liberal category, or conservative category cannot have their voices heard. Instead, we wait for the most extreme of each party to pick their candidate and we end up voting for the lesser of the two evils. In a proud America, our voices should be heard as candidates are being chosen, not after. The only way to achieve that is by not only allowing open primaries but also encouraging them.

Besides, not allowing people to crossover in primaries would only be a partial solution to the perceived problem. Don't forget, it takes a simple act of changing your voter's registration to be allowed to vote in a different parties primary, even when they are closed. Potentially, it would have the same impact as a crossover voter in an open primary. From a logistical point of reference, the only way to deter crossover voters, or those willing to change their registration for mischief, would be to force party affiliation to remain the same throughout your lifetime in conjunction with making open primaries illegal. This is neither reasonable nor effective. In fact, it would be suppressive.

In the general election, no president has ever been elected without the help of crossover voters. Imagine a general election where both major candidates were chosen by the bulk of moderate America during the primaries. It might be the first time leaders could truly reach across party lines and heated debate end with progress rather than stalemates. For this reason, and this reason alone, we cannot forbid crossover voters. For if we did, it would strengthen the divide in this country that is already a chasm that may never be bridged.

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