State Leaders Speak Out on Independent Voter Primary Election Rights

By Joseph Guzman

Cronkite Special to AZLatinos.com

State leaders spoke to a group of Arizona State University students Thursday, discussing whether independent voters should be able to vote in the presidential primary election.

“I have privately spoken to leaders of both political parties and there are people who have told me off the record that over their dead bodies will independents be able to vote in the presidential primary election,” Eric Spencer, Director of Election Services to Arizona Secretary of State’s Office, said.

Spencer explained that the legislators who oppose independents voting in the presidential primary process believe that party membership comes with benefits, and one should not be relieved of the burden of party membership while enjoying the benefits at the same time.

Spencer said that some legislators believed that their party’s presidential primary election would be influenced by independents voting “strategically”.

Spencer said he believes last month’s voting debacle will increase the chances that independents will be able to vote in the presidential primary election, but that it will not happen anytime soon because leaders of both parties are comfortable in the current system.

State Campaign Director for Independent Voters of Arizona Tim Castro said his approach to answer this question would be to ask why the party structure would be against independents voting in the presidential primary.

“By allowing independents to come into the level playing field you’re forcing the paradigm to say ‘well now I have to pay attention to more people, now I have to make sure more people get my message,’ and that is the disruptive force in politics – because if you have the choice of sitting back and getting elected, versus having to expand your message across the board, that’s a very difficult task in an entrenched power system. And that’s a scary task because they have never really had to go off message,” Castro said.

Castro said he takes the approach that it is ok there is a disruptive force, if it means they stop both parties from securing their base first.

Castro said candidates have limited resources, so they would rather hone in on their own party rather than try to appeal to independent voters.