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Feb. 2, 2024 Editor, The News-Gazette: Heads up unaffiliated voters! Legislation (VA HB56) has been proposed in the Virginia House of Delegates that will disenfranchise unaffiliated voters.
The sponsors of this bill, currently in committee, propose moving Virginia from an open primary to a partially closed primary. They propose all voters register with a party to be able to vote in a primary election. They also propose that the party can make rules regarding independent voters’ ability to vote in primaries.
I’ve been an unaffiliated voter for 50-plus years, beholden to no political party, but my vote is as important as any in Virginia. I believe I am able, when unencumbered by party politics, to evaluate candidates, to determine who is best qualified to address the issues we are facing at any given time.
That’s not a popular thought among party diehards, but neither Republicans, nor Democrats, have all the solutions all the time for every issue. This desire to shove everyone into a box is precisely why it’s so difficult to find compromise and pass bi-partisan legislation. This bill penalizes unaffiliated voters for being independent thinkers.
All Virginians should have an equal opportunity to our most valued right ... the right to vote and be part of the election process. By requiring voters to commit to a party, this bill will deny unaffiliated voters the opportunity to have a say in the choice of primary candidate, just as any Republican or Democrat is able to do.
Ironically, those same parties are consistently courting independent voters during general elections.
If this concerns you, go to https://hodspeak.house.virginia. gov/committees/H18/bill_feedback, scroll to HB56, check the box, and click “NEXT” to enter comments. Or you may call the chair of the House Privileges and Elections Committee, Del. Marcia S. “Cia” Price, at (804) 6981085. If you prefer to send your comments via email, her address is [email protected]. gov. DEBBIE POLLARD Lexington
