Florida Democrats and Advocates Push to End Closed Primaries

The Florida Democratic Party and national election advocates are pushing to end Florida's closed primary system ahead of the August 18 primaries. During a virtual press conference on August 14, the advocacy group Open Primaries highlighted that approximately 4 million voters registered with no party affiliation are currently excluded from major races for governor and senator.

Party Chair Nikki Fried stated that the Democrats are considering opening their primary system to address a 1.5 million voter registration gap with Republicans. Fried noted that the Republican Party of Florida has already vowed to sue to block such a move, but she indicated the Democrats would be prepared to challenge the existing statute as unconstitutional.

Open Primaries is currently considering a lawsuit in Florida and is seeking a legislative sponsor for an open primaries bill in the state legislature next year. These efforts come as more than 1 million people have already cast ballots in the current election cycle.