Open Primaries is a movement of diverse Americans who believe in a simple, yet radical idea: no American should be required to join a political party to exercise their right to vote.
The mission of Open Primaries is to advocate for open and nonpartisan primary systems, counter efforts to impose closed primaries, educate voters, train and support spokespeople, and participate in the building of local, state and national open primaries coalitions.
Open Primaries has spearheaded and supported a number of ballot measures and state-specific campaigns for primary reform in its two years of existence -- including efforts in Arizona and South Dakota this year, and a campaign in Oregon in 2014. It served as a resource for voters throughout the primary season and staged a far-reaching rally on the day of New York's closed primary. But its main course of action in 2016 was to pressure the Republican and Democratic parties to adopt open primaries at the presidential level, thereby allowing all voters to participate in the most high-profile election that takes place in the United States. The campaign centered around a petition that would be delivered to the rules committees of the parties at their respective conventions.
By capitalizing on strategic partnerships and utilizing effective grassroots strategies, Open Primaries expanded the scope of its petition by unimaginable margins. Change.org took a deep interest in the petition and helped promote it at no cost. They were instrumental in the process; they secured over 20,000 signatures and even gave a hand with delivering the petition at the RNC.
From a social media perspective, the Open Primaries campaign relied heavily on timing and exposure. The movement coalesced with Bernie Sanders support groups and drew in volunteers and additional signatures by placing social media content on the right channels. With a tiny digital advertising budget, but bolstered by knowing its audience, Open Primaries utilized viral Facebook posts and targeted celebrities to sign the petition -- leveraging endorsements and retweets from the likes of Rosario Dawson and Nina Turner -- to expand its social media reach even further, all at no cost.
Open Primaries also utilized rapid-response tactics centered around the presidential election and rode the news cycle aggressively. Throughout the course of this election, in which primary reform was a hotly contested issue, Open Primaries took advantage of the press on its area of focus and aimed to serve as a national hub for those interested in the issue -- as an official source for voters who wanted a better understanding of their state's primary system. Open Primaries received a significant bump in web traffic throughout the primary season, through intuitive SEO optimization techniques. It stayed ahead of the news cycle by disseminating state-centric graphics and targeting state leaders in the days leading up to particularly controversial closed primaries, and dove deep into the pro-Bernie and independent voter media world. It staged a rally at the New York City Hall amid the dysfunctional New York primary election, which served as a catalyst for increased exposure throughout the rest of the campaign season. Again, without any social media advertising budget, some of Open Primaries' state-centric graphics were able to reach over 100,000 people, which is an astronomical reach for an organization with less than 7,000 Facebook followers.
The campaign culminated in the delivery of the petition to the respective conventions. By keeping tabs on and working with the various open primaries and independent voter groups spread throughout the country, as well as Bernie support groups, Open Primaries was always a step ahead of the curb in terms of organizing. It was able to identify and count on support from numerous Democratic delegates who were interested in putting forth a resolution for open primaries, weeks ahead of the convention. On the Republican side, Open Primaries took advantage of negative press of its opponents -- the Republicans who led a campaign to close all primaries -- and served as the voice of reason for GOP supporters. Ultimately, by targeting specific groups but not endorsing candidates, Open Primaries developed a nonpartisan coalition of supporters from all 50 states. The petition garnered over 40,000 signatures in the end.
The objective, of course, was a lofty one, but the petition surpassed all expectations placed upon it by both Open Primaries and Change.org, who anticipated only 2,000 signatures at most. No one expected both parties to bend to the will of the movement, but with over 30,000 signatures collected in a month, Open Primaries was able to make it resoundingly clear that this issue has leverage and that it is supported by a majority of Americans (70% of those polled). The campaign not only drew more media attention to the issue, it also served to educate voters on the implications of the voter suppression tactics inherent in closed primaries, and provided a foundation with which to move forward in the effort to let all voters vote.
Feeling the pressure of the petition, the DNC Rules Committee voted on a resolution for open presidential primaries in all 50 states -- the first time that either major party has ever considered such a measure. The RNC rejected a resolution -- put forth by Cruz delegates -- to close some open presidential primaries.
By offering supplemental educational materials, produced in-house, Open Primaries aimed to expand and educate its supporter base thereby further advancing its cause and drawing more interest.
Ultimately, Open Primaries capitalized on its nonpartisan coalition of supporters from all 50 states, and sent a strong message to both parties: fix the system and let all voters vote or you will not hold power for much longer.