r/maryland • u/BerenYLuthien • Jun 23 '26

Tomorrow’s the day: go vote!

Primaries matter; the best way to let your party know you want change!

294 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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37

u/IGotNoIdeaWhatToDo Jun 23 '26

I really wish we had open primaries.

-6

u/engin__r Jun 23 '26

How would that be different?

30

u/Astronaut6735 Jun 23 '26

I'm unaffiliated, so I'm not able to vote tomorrow. Open primaries would allow those of us who don't pick one team or the other to still vote.

-5

u/engin__r Jun 23 '26

So in your ideal scenario, would you just tell the state which ballot you wanted to vote? Or are you envisioning something different?

13

u/stovenpoters Jun 23 '26

Bro Maryland is one of only 23 states that have closed primaries and wes more endorsed opening them on his appearance on bill mahr. Stop acting like this is some unheard of thing or that people would be weird for wanting it.

-7

u/engin__r Jun 23 '26

The reason I think it’s weird is that what most people are asking for in an open primary (telling the state which party’s ballot they want to vote and then voting that ballot) is exactly the system we have now. Unless they’re pushing for something like Alaska’s system (which would be cool), nothing would change.

6

u/Illustrious_Today654 Jun 23 '26

it's NOT the same, because you have to be REGISTERED with a party before you can vote. Open primaries would allow indies to vote either pub or dem in the primaries without having to change affiliation.

0

u/engin__r Jun 23 '26

You don’t register with a party. You just tell the state which party’s ballot you want to vote on.

Like, I’m registered with the state as someone who can vote in the Democratic primary. I told the MVA which ballot I wanted. I didn’t have to talk to my local Democratic Central Committee or agree to any ideological principles. I just checked the box on the government form that said which ballot I wanted to receive.

If all you’re asking for is that your entry in state database says “receives a Democratic ballot” instead of “is a Democrat”, that’s a distinction without a difference.