Open primaries for Vermont
We urgently need cooperative, non-confrontational efforts to mitigate the host of critical problems we face.
It seems that political parties often foster irrational, non-cooperation. What if we eliminated political parties in our states and candidates ran on their individual merits?
We could have an open primary seasons where, for each elected position to be filled, candidates would provide, on a statewide website, their photos, appropriate personal information, what they would like to accomplish, how they would achieve those goals by working with others, what they have accomplished, and any other information they deem appropriate. There should probably be a comments/suggestions section tied to each candidate. Candidates would not bear a party label. There would be no campaign funding allowed, but organizations and individuals could endorse candidates on a state website. Candidates would be free to campaign in person and through media appearances, but not pay for advertising.
On primary day, voters would choose from a list of candidates who have met the residency and informational requirements using ranked choice voting. Ranked choice voting tends to foster constructive debate among candidates and makes it more likely that voters will cast their ballots for candidates they think are best since their vote is not thrown away on a “long shot”.
Assuming a primary attracts multiple candidates, the top 2 vote getters in each race would be up for election on the November ballot. Neither would have a party label. They would remain on the candidate website for all voters to see. Campaign spending and advertising restrictions would remain. Voting in the November general election would be like it is now. Whoever gets the majority of the votes wins.
For those elected to state legislatures, leadership and committee choices would be based on merit rather than party affiliation or seniority.
We don’t have time to waste putting better ideas into practice.