This November, Arizona could change the rules of electoral politics 

Arizona has become center stage for every issue Democrats and Republicans are using to drum up votes for Donald Trump or Joe Biden: Immigration, abortion, the rise of Latino voters. Climate change. Voter denialism and vote protectionism. Inflation and taxes. They’re all front and center in the politics of one of the last remaining competitive states in the country.

But behind the scenes, another big issue is on the ballot this November: a referendum that could change the very rules of the political game. While conventional wisdom may be ignoring democratic reform in favor of traditional policy debates, voters are not. A growing number of states are considering reform, and what is happening now in Arizona could be a watershed moment for the entire country.

last year, Independents became the largest voter group along with Republicans. In the Grand Canyon State, voter registration data tells the story: 1.4 million Republicans, 1.4 million Independents, and 1.2 million Democrats. The surge in Independents reflects a national trend, but it’s even more pronounced in Arizona because of the closeness of the two parties: Independents are taking control.

But the reality for independents in Arizona is that they are second-class citizens.

In Arizona, Like many other statesElection administration is partisan. Independents cannot be represented on election boards or serve as poll workers or election officials. The state offers open primaries for lower-level elections, but requires independents to “pick a party” to participate, which contradicts what Tom Riley of the Center for Independent and Sustainable Democracy at Arizona State University has argued. Recently in the spotlight“What distinguishes independents is that candidates and issues, not party loyalty, drive their choices.”

Arizona has mail-in voting, but the independent Must To receive a primary ballot, independent candidates must overcome Kafkaesque hurdles: they must gather six times as many signatures as party candidates, and even if they do clear that hurdle, they won’t appear on the primary ballot. And Arizona completely bans independents from participating in its taxpayer-funded presidential race.

A diverse group of Arizona citizens working to level the playing field, primarily funded by local governments Let’s make elections fair AZ The goal is to empower independents and revitalize the state’s political culture. They are on the verge of submitting the necessary signatures to hold the first-ever referendum this November. Part 1 would be a nonpartisan first-round election where all voters and all candidates are on an equal footing and voters can choose among all the candidates. Part 2 would be an open presidential primary in which all citizens can vote. If political parties want to limit participation, they can, but only if they pay for the private election themselves.

Why is restructuring primaries so important? In Arizona, nearly half of the state legislative races in the last election cycle ranged from completely uncontested to completely landslide. Less than a quarter of all races were competitive. A nonpartisan primary in November will set up a truly competitive general election in every part of the state.

At a time when Democrat and Republican strategies are based on “divide and conquer” and “do whatever it takes to get 50.1%,” the Team for Fair Elections is putting fundamental American values ​​with broad partisan support on the ballot: Treat all voters and candidates equally. Ensure every voter can vote for who they want, in every taxpayer-funded election. A competition, not a coronation.

And even if this referendum passes, it won’t remove the leaders the people have chosen. Congress would have to design a new system that treats all voters and all candidates fairly and equally, sanctions presidential primaries, and combines nonpartisan primaries for state and federal elections with competitive general elections in which the winner gets a clear majority.

Arizona’s current rules empower a small group of partisan insiders and silence independents at the very time their voices are needed to counter the around-the-clock battle between Team Blue and Team Red. The Make Our Elections Fair team has created an instrument that will bring the values ​​of fairness, competition and inclusion to center stage at a time when our country desperately needs them.

Jeremy Gruber and John Opdyke Open Primary ElectionNational electoral reform organization.