After a poorly run primary election on Tuesday, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is calling for an open primary system for presidential voting, with independents allowed to cast ballots.
According to The Arizona Republic, Ducey’s announcement comes after after tens of thousands of voters were forced to cast provisional ballots on Tuesday, many of which will end up not being counted, because the voters are not registered members of the Republican, Democratic, or Green parties.
The election, marred by incredibly long lines at the polls, with some voters waiting five hours to cast a ballot, was also marked by confusion about voting eligibility.
“One way we can fix things is to simplify them,” Ducey said in a statement. “That means allowing independents to vote in presidential primaries, just as they vote in all other Arizona primaries. A big part of (the) problem was registered voters showing up, and being told they couldn’t vote. That’s just wrong. If people want to take the time to vote they should be able to, and their vote should be counted.”
The Republic reported that in one county alone, Maricopa County, 23,000 voters were forced to cast provisional ballots.
According to the Independent Voters Network, more than 1.2 million voters are registered independents in Arizona — over a third of the overall electorate — which means the largest group of voters in the state cannot vote in a publicly-funded election. If they try, they have to fill out a provisional ballot that won’t be counted.
Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan and Ducey have announced their support for ending taxpayer funding of presidential preference elections and forcing the parties to cover the cost of these primaries. A bill recently passed the state House that would end the public funding of the two parties’ presidential nominating process.
