Closed vs. Open Primaries- What’s the Difference?

BOX HELLO ON TEDDY BYRNE. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. FLORIDA'S PRIMARY ELECTIONS ARE JUST ONE WEEK TODAY AND SOME VOTERS ARE REALIZING AFTER RECEIVING THEIR MAIL IN BALLOT. IT'S A CLOSED PRIMARY SYSTEM IN FLORIDA. REGISTERED VOTERS CAN ONLY VOTE IN THE PRIMARY CONTEST THAT MATCHES THEIR VOTER REGISTRATION UNLESS THERE ARE NO OTHER CANDIDATES. THE WINNER WILL HAVE TO FACE IN THE GENERAL ELECTION. IN RECENT YEARS, FLORIDA HAS SEEN AN INFLUX OF RESIDENTS FROM STATES THAT HAVE LESS RESTRICTIVE SYSTEMS GARNERING WHO CAN VOTE IN PRIMARY ELECTIONS. AND THEY MAY FIND FLORIDA SYSTEM A BIT CONFUSING. WGC HOST AND REPORTER JOHN DAVIS IS WITH US TODAY TO HELP EXPLAIN FLORIDA SYSTEM HOW IT CAME ABOUT AND THE MAIN ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST CHANGING IT. NOW, JON, THE CLOSED PRIMARY SYSTEM IS OLDER THAN MANY PEOPLE MIGHT REALIZE. HOW FAR BACK DOES IT GO? >> WELL, HERE IN FLORIDA GOES BACK TO 1913. THAT'S WHEN THEY ADOPTED A LAW CREATING A SYSTEM WHERE, YOU KNOW, ONLY REGISTERED REPUBLICANS VOTE IN REPUBLICAN PRIMARIES AND VICE VERSA FOR DEMOCRATS. BUT THIS WAS LONG BEFORE THE MODERN, YOU KNOW, REPUBLICAN VERSUS DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE NOW. I MEAN, THIS WAS A SYSTEM THAT WAS ADOPTED DURING THE PROGRESSIVE AREA. IT WAS REALLY MORE ABOUT PARTY INTEGRITY AT THE TIME. SO IMAGINE EVEN BEFORE WE HAD PRIMARY ELECTIONS, IT WAS OFFICIALS WITHIN THE REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC PARTIES WHO WOULD CHOOSE WHO THEIR NOMINEE IS FOR DIFFERENT POLITICAL CONTESTS. WE'RE GOING TO BE IN CONFERENCES OR CAUCUSES. SO WHEN THEY STARTED LETTING VOTERS CHOOSE WHO THE PARTY'S NOMINEE WAS GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN UNDERSTAND HOW LETTING JUST ANY VOTER, REGARDLESS OF PARTY AFFILIATION WOULD FEEL UNTENABLE. THAT LAW DID REMAIN ON THE BOOKS, BUT IT REALLY KIND OF BECAME CODIFY. THE 1968. AND THAT'S WHEN FLORIDA ADOPTED A NEW CONSTITUTION. AND THIS WAS REPLACING AN OUTDATED CONSTITUTION FROM 18. 85. BUT IN THAT CONSTITUTION, AND THIS IS THE ONE THAT WE HAVE NOW. IT SET UP THE ELECTION SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE NOW AND THE CURRENTS, YOU KNOW, CLOSED PRIMARY SYSTEM NOW BY THE END OF THE 20TH CENTURY OF FLORIDA, WAS KIND OF ONE OF JUST A SMALL NUMBER OF STATES, BUT STILL USED PRIMARY ELECTIONS THIS WAY. HAVE THIS RESTRICTIVE CLOSED SYSTEM. AND THEN IN 1998, VOTERS APPROVED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT CALLED THE UNIVERSAL PRIMARY AMENDMENT. AND THIS OPENED THE COMPLETELY PRO CLOSED PRIMARY SYSTEM TO WHAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE TODAY WHERE? LET'S SAY YOU'RE A REGISTERED REPUBLICAN AND THERE ARE NO REPUBLICANS IN THAT RACE. THEN THE CAR OR ANY OTHER CANDIDATES IN THAT RACE, REGARDLESS OF PARTY AFFILIATION USE WOULD STILL GET TO HAVE A VOICE IN THAT PRIMARY, EVEN THOUGH NO CANDIDATES OF YOUR PARTY AFFILIATION, WE'RE AT IT. AND AGAIN, THAT'S THE SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE NOW. >> ALL RIGHT. SO THEN WHAT ARE THE ARGUMENTS FOR MAYBE POSSIBLY OPENING UP THE PRIMARIES OR MAYBE JUST KEEPING IT CLOSED? >> SO I THINK THE MAJOR ARGUMENT FOR KEEPING IT THE WAY IT IS NOW IS THAT. BASICALLY THIS IDEA THAT REPUBLICANS SHOULD CHOOSE THE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE AND DEMOCRATS SHOULD CHOOSE THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE SUPPORTERS OF THE CURRENT SYSTEM ALSO POINT OUT THAT OPENING A PRIME AREAS COULD OPEN UP THE ELECTION SYSTEM TO WHAT IS CALLED RATING. AND I'LL JUST GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. LET'S SAY YOU HAVE 5 REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES THAT ARE COMPETING FOR THE NOMINATION. YOU KNOW, DEMOCRATIC VOTERS COULD THEORETICALLY THAN VOTE IN THE REPUBLICAN THEY THINK IS THE WEAKEST AND WHAT HAVE THE LEAST CHANCE OF DEFEATING THE DEMOCRAT. I DON'T THINK THAT ARGUMENT IS NOT STRONG BECAUSE PEOPLE ALREADY DO A VERSION OF THAT TODAY. LIKE IF YOU ARE A DEMOCRAT AND YOU LIVE IN A A HEAVILY REPUBLICAN AREA, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WILL CHOOSE TO REGISTER WITH A PARTY THAT THEY DON'T ACTUALLY AGREE WITH JUST SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE A GREATER SAY IN THE ELECTIONS OF OFFICIALS THAT ARE GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, GOVERNING MAP AS FAR AS ARGUMENTS TO OPEN UP THE PRIMARIES. YOU KNOW, BASICALLY THE IDEA IS THAT THIS IS A TAXPAYER FUNDED PROCESS FOR DETERMINING OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND AS MANY ELIGIBLE VOTERS AS POSSIBLE SHOULD HAVE A SAY IN THAT PROCESS. AND THIS IS WHERE WE GET INTO THE STRONGEST ARGUMENT OF HOW INDEPENDENT VOTERS ARE REALLY DISENFRANCHISED FROM THIS PROCESS. THAT'S BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE NOT REGISTERED REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT, THERE'S MUCH LAST ON YOUR PRIMARY BALLOT THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO VOTE ON AND THE NUMBER OF INDEPENDENTS IN FLORIDA AS PEOPLE BECOME MORE DISENFRANCHISED WITH THE REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC PARTIES MEANS THAT THIS IS A MUCH LARGER VOTER BLOC LIKE BACK IN 2000, THE NUMBER OF AND PA REGISTERED VOTERS IN FLORIDA MADE UP ABOUT 15 AND A HALF PERCENT OF THE OVERALL ELECTORATE. TODAY. IT'S NEARLY A QUARTER TODAY. IT'S CLOSE TO 25%. SO THERE'S A LOT MORE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT GETTING TO HAVE A SAY AND THESE PRIMARY POLITICAL CONTESTS TODAY THAN THERE WERE EVEN JUST A QUARTER CENTURY AGO. >> AND THEN ONE OF THE BIGGEST ARGUMENTS AGAINST MAINTAIN THE CURRENT SYSTEM IS THE RIGHT IN LOOPHOLE. NOW, WHAT EXACTLY IS THAT? >> SO BUT THE SYSTEM WE HAVE NOW. >> LET'S SAY YOU ONLY HAVE REPUBLICANS RUNNING FOR A RACE. THERE ARE NO DEMOCRATS. THAT WOULD MEAN THAT THE PRIDE THAT WOULD OPEN UP THE PRIMARY UNDER THE CURRENT SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE. BUT IF YOU HAVE A WRITE-IN CANDIDATE WHO THEN QUALIFIES NOW THE PRIMARY BECOMES CLOSED AGAIN BECAUSE WHOEVER WINS THAT PRIMARY IS GOING TO FACE A COMPETITOR IN THE GENERAL ELECTION. NOW, THIS CAME OUT OF A 2000 INTERPRETATION WRITTEN BY THEN SECRETARY OF STATE KATHERINE HARRIS, WHERE SHE BASICALLY STATED IF THERE IS A WRITE-IN CANDIDATE, THE WAY WE INTERPRET THE LAW MEANS THAT CLOSES THE PRIMARY AGAIN. AND SO WHAT THIS CREATES A SYSTEM THAT REALLY SEEMS TO BENEFIT INCUMBENTS IN FLORIDA. LAWMAKERS TEND NOT TO WANT TO FIX THE SYSTEM BECAUSE THEY BENEFIT FROM IT. AND I'M NOT TALKING REPUBLICANS OVER DEMOCRATS AND MORE YOU KNOW, STATE LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS, THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE. DEMOCRATS WILL USE THE WRITE-IN LOOPHOLE TO THEIR BENEFIT. IT'S NOT. BOTH PARTIES DO. IT IS WHAT I'M SAYING. BUT THERE IS A GROWING MOVEMENT TO ADDRESS AND CHANGE THAT SYSTEM. THERE'S ORGANIZATIONS. GENERALLY LED BY INDEPENDENT VOTERS WHO, AGAIN WANT TO HAVE A GREATER SAY AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY HOLDING A PRESS CONFERENCE THIS COMING THURSDAY AFTERNOON TO BRING MORE ATTENTION TO THE SYSTEM AND THE DISENFRANCHISEMENT OF INDEPENDENT VOTERS. BUT AS FAR AS ANY CHANGE GETTING MADE, I DON'T SEE THE LEGISLATURE DOING THAT ANYTIME SOON. I THINK THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. IT'S GOING TO BE THROUGH THE CITIZEN BALLOT INITIATIVE. JOHN DAVIS, THANK YOU SO MUCH