Watch this video from Fox 5 to hear Lisa D. T. Rice, proposer of Initiative 83, explain why letting independents vote means so much to her.
Letting Independents Vote
Currently there are almost 75,000 independent voters (nearly 1 out of 6 voters) in the District of Columbia who do not belong to a political party. The current system excludes these voters from being able to participate in D.C.’s most contested election: the primary election.
The District of Columbia has what are called “Closed” primary elections. Only voters registered with a political party can vote in them.
As tax-payers, independents fund primary elections, but are then told they cannot participate in them. This amounts to voter suppression.
Letting independents vote will allow the second largest voting bloc in D.C. to participate in one primary election of their choice for all offices other than party offices. It will not allow voters that are members of existing political parties to vote in a different party’s primary election.
Here’s how it would work: Prior to a primary election, independent voters would contact the D.C. Board of Elections and choose a party to vote in for that election. When the voter receives their ballot in the mail or shows up to vote, their ballot will be for whichever party they have choosen for that election cycle.