The petition
Fellow Pennsylvania residents and registered Independents.
Pennsylvania currently holds a closed primary which means that only registered Democrats can vote in the Democratic primary and only registered Republicans can vote in the Republican primary, everybody else is left out until November. With record numbers of us switching our party affiliation this cycle solely to take part in the nomination process on April 22, 2008, only to reverse it right back to Independent after the primary, this seems a perfect time to start the ball rolling toward necessary changes to help fit the present and future of the American voter pool. The simple fact is, Independents are the fastest growing voter group in the nation and we cannot afford to continue sitting in the stands as spectators simply waiting until the general election, only to have a choice between two candidates which we didn't even take part in nominating. I understand that registered Republicans shouldn't have any influence on who the Democratic Party nominee is and registered Democrats should not be able to vote in the Republican primary, but we should. Considering only two political parties have virtually controlled the election process throughout the modern history of our great country, how can our system possibly be viewed as fully and openly democratic or even fair to all those voters not registered as Democrat or Republican? I strongly believe it is time to change Pennsylvania's primary laws and here's what I'm proposing.
Pennsylvania should have a semi-closed primary. This allows Independents to make their voices heard in one, and only one, primary of their choice but will not allow a registered Democrat to vote in the Republican primary or a registered Republican to vote in the Democratic primary. I believe this is fair to unaffiliated registered voters as well as registered Democrats and Republicans. At the same time, it helps all the candidates running by making the process more democratic and by motivating those registered voters who have been sidelined up till this point to go to the polls without the expense of additional time or paperwork. This can only be good for Pennsylvania and America as a whole, considering this is the hiring process of the most important job in the country and affects all Americans regardless of the party affiliation on their voter registration card. Although I believe the long term goal should be a national primary day in which all states have an equal amount of influence by voting in a semi-closed primary system, I am a Pennsylvania resident, registered voter, and a proud Independent, therefore the starting point for an overhaul of our primary election system starts here. Please join in this push for a more legitimate democracy by signing the attached petition which will then be sent to two very important people people on April 21, 2008, Representative Babette Josephs, Chair of the State Rules Committee, and Governor Edward G. Rendell. With your help we will not have to change our voter registration again during the 2012 primary season to have our voices heard.
Thank you very much for signature.
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