On June 2, South Dakota taxpayers funded ‘members-only’ votes for two private clubs: the South Dakota Republican Party and the South Dakota Democratic Party. The true winners were not regular voters, but rather the political party machines and Big Money donors.

Closed Primaries and Hyper-Partisanship

Closed primaries enable and incentivize hyper-partisanship, creating divisive and dysfunctional political gridlock. Candidates need only appeal to a narrow, dogmatic slice of voters instead of the broader public. This system largely shuts out principled moderates, independents, and political newcomers. Candidates who want to work across party lines or challenge entrenched Big Money interests also struggle.

The result of closed primaries is growing polarization and fewer elected officials either willing or able to effectively represent all South Dakotans. As an independent candidate for U.S. Senate, I believe it’s time to re-examine our primary system and work towards a more inclusive and representative process.

Original reporting: The Dakota Scout (Sioux Falls) — read the source article.