Do you want your vote to count?
Nearly 1.3 million¹ Oregon voters are restricted voting rights in public elections
(1) Total of registered voters not granted ballot access to major party primaries: 1,265,702
https://sos.oregon.gov/elections/Documents/registration/2023-august.pdf
How Oregon’s Partisan Primaries Marginalize Voters: An analysis of the May 2024 Primary Elections finds that in some state legislative races, more than 60% of voters had no legal right to vote for any registered candidate.
To avoid the flaws ot Top-2 primaries and ranked-choice voting, establish Top-3 open primaries followed by a Triple Runoff in the general election. A sample ballot is shown on the left. The winner is the candidate who wins (or comes closest to winning) both of their runoffs.
The public deserves a government where election results are representative of all voters. Restricted ballot access in closed primary elections discriminates against non-affiliated voters, limits voter choice, and makes a mockery of the state constitution’s declaration that “All elections shall be free and equal.” Real democracy means all voters are counted and every election counts.
All Oregon Votes is working to guarantee that the will of all voters is reflected in election results. Our goal is to ensure that all voters have the right to vote in taxpayer-funded primary elections, with all candidates together on the same ballot for a level playing field. Candidates should be accountable to all their constituents, not just their party.
Oregon is an outlier: It is one of twelve states holding closed primaries that deny the franchise to independent voters. Click on the image at left for details.
News Update:
2026 Ballot Initiatives for Open Primaries
Two ballot initiatives establishing open primaries were filed on October 20th 2025 for the 2026 election. Both are entitled the “Voter Fairness Act”. Former governor Ted Kulongosi, Andrew Kaza, and Sheri Helt are the chief petitioners.
Initiative Petition 2026-055 is a constitutional amendment that would require all primary candidates to be listed on a single ballot.
Initiative Petition 2026-056 is a statutory initiative that would establish a Top-2 open primary system.
Lawsuit Claims That Closed Primaries are Unconstitutional
The lawsuit, filed in Marion County Circuit Court on June 25th 2025 by nonprofit Our Primary Voice and member Mark Porter, notes that the requirements for voting listed in the state Constitution do not include party membership. News summary at Willamette Week.
More News
Current Oregon law forces voters to publicly
align with a troubled national political party to vote in the closed primary election, which is funded by the State using our tax dollars for the exclusive benefit of private political organizations.
Political parties should not have authority as gatekeepers of American democracy. Elections should belong to “We the People” — every one of us voters, regardless of party status.
43 percent of Oregon voters are turned-away at the ballot box.
OREGON’S VOTER REGISTRATION BY PARTY
Photo Credit: Alexander Isreb
WILL YOU TAKE ACTION?
Oregonians like you come from unique, diverse backgrounds. Across our great state, those who believe in our mission are coming together to listen, learn and work together to strengthen our democracy to better represent the people of Oregon.
Honoring the will of the people is critical to a representative democracy that voters trust to govern with integrity and accountability.
“Photo Of Waterfalls” by Jacob Colvin
Please stay tuned-in to our progress during this historic campaign.
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