As a lifelong activist, I have spent a lot of time talking with voters about the state of our nation’s democracy. From mid-cycle partisan redistricting efforts to the clear erosion of federal checks and balances, many voters have expressed that partisan politics turn them off and they would rather sit out elections entirely
As President of the Philadelphia AFL-CIO, I represent 110 different local unions and over 150,000 union members. Like any family, we don’t agree on everything. However, there are some core values that every single union member holds near and dear. We believe in dignity at work, family-sustaining wages for all workers, and in the right to collectively bargain. We also believe that voting is a civic duty for all Americans, no matter what political party you belong to.
As a labor leader, I know how important it is to understand your members. We know our contracts and what our members wish they could change about them. We know what issues they care about, both outside and inside the workplace. We train and empower our members to speak truth to power and share their story — whether it’s through our GOTV efforts or by giving legislative testimony. We do a lot of in-depth and strategic work to ensure that when our members go to the ballot box each November, they know exactly what they are voting for.
But that’s November — and that’s not the only time Philadelphians head to the voting booth each year.
Our primary elections, which take place each spring, play a crucial role in our civic ecosystem and often serve as battle royales for candidates seeking their party’s endorsement in the general election. While the labor movement, by and large, acts independently of any political party, we certainly have a vested interest in these primary elections — and in making sure that pro-union candidates end up on the General Election ballot.
As a member of the Committee of 70, a good governance group serving Philadelphia, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the voting habits of Philadelphians and how we can drive voter turnout to ensure all of our voices are heard. We know that voters across the country are dropping their party registration, identifying themselves as “Independent” or another third party.
Across Philadelphia, there are an estimated 170,723 Independent or third party voters, making them the second largest voting bloc in the City, behind the Democratic Party. Despite making up 15 percent of our electorate, these tax-paying and civically minded voters are unable to use their voice in our primary election.
Here in Philadelphia, nearly all of our political races are determined by a primary election. The most competitive race Philadelphians will see next year is the already crowded Democratic primary for the third congressional district. The Pennsylvania Department of State reports that there are 573,263 registered voters in the 3rd Congressional District; 72,214 of those voters are unaffiliated voters. Because of our antiquated closed primary system, those unaffiliated voters, many of whom are union members, will not have a say in who will very likely go on to represent them in Washington. You shouldn’t have to commit to a political party to make sure your voice is heard in the primary election; you should just be a registered voter.
Recent polls show that nearly 72 percent of Pennsylvanians are concerned that Independents are unable to participate in primary elections, and 75 percent of those surveyed would support a plan to change that. The simplest way to address those concerns would be to change our primary system from a closed to a semi-open system; this change would open the doors for nearly 1 in 7 Pennsylvania voters, who are currently unable to vote in primaries, to vote in primary elections going forward.
As partisanship division increases with each passing day, we must ensure that everyone has a seat at the table when it comes to determining our future. Pennsylvanians deserve an electoral system where all our voices can be heard, which is why I urge legislators in Harrisburg to take this issue seriously and craft thoughtful legislation that would open our closed primary system to unaffiliated and Independent voters.
If we want our republic to live up to its full potential, we need to make sure every voice is heard. We need more people at the table, not fewer. I believe that by opening our Commonwealth’s closed primaries and creating more civic discourse, we can help bridge the partisan divide that is tearing our country apart and ensure more voices are heard.
Daniel P. Bauder is President of the Philadelphia AFL-CIO and a board member of Committee of Seventy.
The Citizen welcomes guest commentary from community members who represent that it is their own work and their own opinion based on true facts that they know firsthand.
Correction: an earlier version of this story stated independent voters were the third largest voting bloc on the city. It has been updated to reflect that independent and third party voters combined are the second largest voting bloc.
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