1.35 million Oregonians are excluded from state-funded primary elections, even though those primaries shape who advances and ultimately wins. Therefore, when large numbers of voters can’t participate at this early stage, the field of candidates is narrowed before the broader public has a voice.
Greater competition encourages elected officials to be more responsive and reflective to all Oregonians rather than a narrow partisan base. In contrast, when that competition is missing, many voters disengage, being shut out of the process.
Non-affiliated voters (NAVs) are now the largest voting bloc across much of Oregon, leading in 21 of 36 counties and five of six Congressional Districts. Taken together, this shift shows Oregon’s electorate is increasingly independent and less defined by party affiliation.
Candidates may appear on the primary ballot or qualify through party opt-outs or voter petition.
Every registered voters participates in nominating candidates for the most important offices in state-funded primary.
The top two primary finishers advance, along with any candidates nominated by opting-out parties or voter petition.
They are excluded from voting in the state’s taxpayer-funded primary elections, and are not fairly represented.
Nonaffiliated Oregon Voters Now Outnumber Democrats and Republicans for the First Time (wweek.com)
A small percentage of voters are deciding Oregonians’ choices in the general election. Open primaries boost participation in lower-turnout primaries and help ensure a broader set of Oregonians are shaping the November ballot. The Oregonian 4/10/24 “Editorial: Join a major party, just for the primary” (Shemia Fagan SoS won primary 7% registered voters; Thatcher just 11%) The Oregonian 10/27/19 “Editorial, Opening Oregon’s primaries would give voice to people, not parties.” (AG Rosenblum elected by less than 16% registered voters).
More than half of young Oregon voters (18-34) and growing are nonaffiliated and are disenfranchised under the current system. 83% of Oregonians who registered via Motor Voter in 2020 are non-affiliated voters. Oregon 360 Media (2021) Reforming our elections: Oregon registers, but does not empower all voters (substack.com).
“When states allow unaffiliated voters to participate in primaries for the first time, voter turnout increases, and the electorate grows more demographically and politically representative.” The Effect of Open Primaries on Turnout and Representation | Bipartisan Policy Center (opening primaries to NAVs increases NAV share of the electorate by 12%)
Princeton Electoral Innovation Lab presentation to National Assn. of Nonpartisan Reformers (2/5/25)
“[J]ust 8% of the U.S. voting age population effectively elected 83% of the U.S. House in partisan primaries. The result is that elected officials are not accountable to the vast majority of voters, which rewards extremism, fuels division, and distorts representation.” Unite America Institute, Not Invited to the Party Primary,
“Closed party primaries are force multipliers for the polarization that afflicts the United States . . . Fear among moderate, measured or mainstream candidates of being “primaried” moved them away from bipartisan cooperation and edged their politics further to the extremes.” Compare Cheney and Murkowski’s Political Fates—It’s All About the Primary – Sightline Institute 8/19/22
California and Washington state’s Top-2 Open Primary has been successful at electing moderates and reducing Legislative polarization, according to research from California Chamber of Commerce, USC Schwarzenegger Institute, other nonpartisan primary research:
Reducing Legislative Polarization: Top Two & Open Primaries are Association with More Moderate Legislators. Christian Grose, USC Schwarzenegger Institute (2020)
Stapilus: Oregon open primary initiative would let all participate | Oregon Capital Insider (Majority NAV Counties: Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Curry, Deschutes, Jackson, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath, Lincoln, Linn, Malheur, Marion, Morrow, Polk, Tillamook, Umatilla, Wasco, Washington, Yamhill).
“Closed primaries have large demobilizing impacts on Asian American and Latinx voters.” University of Southern California,
The Demobilizing Effect of Primary Electoral Institutions on Voters of Color (6/3/21)
“Asian American voters are twice as likely to identify as purely independent.”
AAPI Data, New York Times,
Asian American Voters Could Be Key Swing Voters of 2024 (8/13/24)
Endorsements on the ballot provide voters important information about candidates and encourage political party participation. Allowing parties to cross-nominate multiple candidates (i.e. Republican/Libertarian or Democratic/Working Families) helps elect leaders who represent broader coalitions.
Endorsements are designed so candidates cannot self-endorse but need legitimate endorsement from a party to avoid party label hijacking. Washington, California, and Alaska allow party label hijacking by persons not connected to the party.
Fusion voting (up to three endorsements on the ballot) allows minor parties to elevate their policy agenda and gives voters a greater choice of policy platforms and priorities.
Protect Democracy, Fusion Voting Explained (12/19/23);
American Bar Association Task Force for American Democracy, Reviving the American Tradition of Fusion Voting (5/31/24);
Protect Democracy, Fusion Voting and a Revitalized Role for Minor Parties in Presidential Elections (12/14/23);
The New Republic,
What Is “Fusion Voting”? Just a Way to Save the Country, That’s All
(6/15/24).
Fusion voting allows parties to cross-nominate candidates and can be a first step toward multiparty democracy and broader electoral reform, such as proportional representation.
New America,
From Polarization to Pluralism: Harnessing Parties and Fusion Voting for a Healthier Democracy
(6/26/23).
Oregon voters deserve a voice. We’re building a statewide team to gather signatures, and we need you.
We have until July 3 to qualify for the November 2026 ballot.
Join us to:
✔ Gather signatures in your community
✔ Help on college campuses & events
✔ Support outreach efforts across Oregon
Every signature—and every dollar—helps us reach voters across Oregon.
