The Problem With Open Primaries

[DaGoose]

Scott Walker Recall: Republicans May Vote In Democratic Primary, GOP State Senator Says

A top Republican lawmaker in Wisconsin has suggested that GOP voters may cause mischief at the polls in May, when Democratic voters pick the candidate who will face Gov. Scott Walker (R) in the recall's general election in June.

Wisconsin has open primaries, allowing voters of any party to vote in any election. So Republicans are free to vote in Democratic primaries, and vice-versa.

Senate Republican Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) "said some Republicans may vote for Falk in the Democratic primary because polling shows she does not perform as well as Barrett in head-to-head matchups with GOP Gov. Scott Walker."

"There's nothing to keep the Republicans from messing around," Fitzgerald said, according to the newspaper.

Scott Walker Recall: Republicans May Vote In Democratic Primary, GOP State Senator Says

And these bastards wonder why people get so fed up with politics?

Open primaries are WRONG for this exact reason. And that goes no matter which side is doing it.

 

[naturegirl]

Kinda like the Dems did with Santorum??

Romney's Michigan win comes despite many Democrats voting for Paul, Santorum | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

 

[JoeB131]

Kinda like the Dems did with Santorum??

Romney's Michigan win comes despite many Democrats voting for Paul, Santorum | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

Was there any real evidence Democrats did that?

Same thing with Rush's operation Chaos. (Vote for Hillary to drag out the 2008 contest, but there's little evidence anyone did.)

To the OP's original point. How do you sort out who is a real democrat voting in the primary, an independent who might just have an opinion, or a Republican who is just there to cause trouble?

This is something Democrats SHOULD have had worked out before they wasted anyone's time and submitted recall petitions to start with. If they aren't willing to wait for 2014 to challenge Walker, then they should have had their guy lined up.

 

[DaGoose]

Kinda like the Dems did with Santorum??

Romney's Michigan win comes despite many Democrats voting for Paul, Santorum | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

Uhhhhh.....did you miss this in the OP?

Open primaries are WRONG for this exact reason. And that goes no matter which side is doing it.

 

[Seawytch]

Open primaries are stupid. The whole point of a Primary is for the parties to choose their candidates.

 

[California Girl]

Kinda like the Dems did with Santorum??

Romney's Michigan win comes despite many Democrats voting for Paul, Santorum | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

Uhhhhh.....did you miss this in the OP?

Open primaries are WRONG for this exact reason. And that goes no matter which side is doing it.

I didn't miss it.... it made me laugh... considering the deathly silence when the shoe was on the other foot. Sorry... your convenient outrage is laughable.

 

[Article 15]

It's a negative side effect but closed primaries take away the ability of registered independents to ensure their candidate, whoever that may be, makes it thru the entire election process.

I'll accept the risk that a small percentage of ultra partisan voters may go cast a vote for the weaker candidate of the other party.

I doubt the Wisconsin GOP will succeed in swaying the primary one way or another much like Rush's Operation Chaos failed and calls for Dems to vote for Santorum in Illinois failed.