Dear Editor,
Half of all veterans identify as political independents, and voters increasingly register as unaffiliated with any party. Only voters who register with a party - usually Republican or Democratic - are allowed to vote in a primary election according to the Pennsylvania Election Code. How can we justify to veterans and unaffiliated voters that they have no voice in primary elections? If we ask everyone to support and our veterans to defend this country, then we must give everyone the right to vote in each election! Therefore, we must repeal closed primaries.
On August 16th, the Pennsylvania House State Government Committee held a hearing on the campus of Villanova University to consider legislation that would open Pennsylvania’s primary system. Pennsylvania is one of only nine states with closed primaries and this hearing was the first of the PA House in modern times. I traveled there to show my support for House Bill 1369.
The House State Government Committee heard testimony from John Opdycke, President of Open Primaries; Alan Novak, former Chairman PA Republican State Committee; TJ Rooney, former Chairman PA Democratic State Committee; Jack Wagner, Ballot PA Vets Co-Chair and Founder and Chairman of the Board of Pittsburgh Hires Veterans; Marilyn Kelly-Cavotta, Ballot PA Vets Co-Chair and Executive Director of Veteran and Military Services at Moravian University; Jennifer Bullock, Director Independent Pennsylvanians; David Thornburgh, Chair Ballot PA; and Ben Williams, Principal, Elections & Redistricting Program, National Conference of State Legislatures. Additional written testimony was received from Diana G. Dakey, League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania; Barbara Cross, Ballot PA Vets State Co-Chair and Former Cumberland County Commissioner; and Rocky Bleier, Decorated Veteran, Four-time Super Bowl Champion, and Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor.
While our political parties are increasingly being controlled by partisan elitists, the quiet majority in the center are not being properly represented in the general election and forced to choose between radically polarizing candidates rather than rational and inclusive representatives that may have won an open primary. House Bill 1369 has support across the political spectrum because it matters that all voices are heard during our primary elections.
I am running for state representative as a write-in candidate who is not beholden to partisan politics. I run as an independently minded leader to bring sensible government, not party bickering or divisive politics. When elected to represent all people of PA House District 139, I will vote to repeal closed primaries in Pennsylvania because we all deserve to be heard in our primary elections.
For more information, visit: BallotPA.org, PAIndependents.org, and OpenPrimaries.org.
Marian Keegan
Lackawaxen Township resident
Write-in candidate for Representative to the PA General Assembly 139th District