I believe every Marylander should have a meaningful vote. Not just a rubber stamp. Right now, our closed primary system and the way districts are drawn means that in 72 state legislative races this cycle, whoever wins Tuesday's primary on June 24th wins the seat, full stop. No general election competition. No real choice for tens of thousands of Maryland voters. According to Maryland Matters and Board of Elections filing data, Republicans failed to field candidates in 20 Senate races and 52 delegate races. That's not healthy democracy — that's a system that's decided before most people even show up.
I'm not saying this to score points for one party or the other. I'm saying it because when races are decided in a closed primary, only the most engaged partisan voters pick our legislators. Neighbors who are independents, or who just don't follow primaries closely, lose their voice entirely. And when there's no competition, there's less pressure on any officeholder to listen, explain their votes, or earn support. That's bad for all of us, regardless of party.
I'm asking you to support open primary reform here in Maryland — legislation that lets any registered voter participate in the primary election for any candidate, so the general election actually means something to everyone. Voters in this state deserve a real say in who represents them, not a process that hands out seats before most of us are paying attention.
Please support open primary legislation that gives every Maryland voter a meaningful choice on Election Day.
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