March Updates 2025
- Veterans for All Voters
- Mar 19
- 3 min read
Hello Friends,
This month, We are witnessing a transformative period in electoral reform in numerous States. In Oregon, House Bill 3166 has been introduced, proposing a “single unified primary” system that would allow all registered voters to participate, regardless of party affiliation. This bill aims to address the growing number of non-affiliated voters, who now comprise 37% of Oregon’s electorate, and to foster a more inclusive democratic process.
Simultaneously, New Mexico’s legislature has passed Senate Bill 16, a significant milestone that opens primary elections to over 330,000 independent voters, accounting for 25% of the state’s electorate. This achievement underscores the momentum of the national movement advocating for fair and equal voting rights.
Furthermore, our recent March All-Hands call highlighted exceptional women-led reform efforts within this movement, emphasizing the pivotal role women are playing in driving these democratic advancements. Discussions were with: Alicia Washkevich - Chief Operations Officer - New Politics, Cynthia Richie Terrell - Executive Director and Founder - RepresentWomen, and Erika Justis Blas - Director of Development - Mormon Women for Ethical Government.
Watch the March All-Hands recap below
State Updates
New Mexico
The New Mexico House of Representatives by a small margin on Friday voted in favor of opening upcoming primary elections to unaffiliated voters. Co-sponsor Rep. Cristina Parajón (D-Albuquerque) defended the bill in a roughly two-hour debate Friday on the House floor, with fewer than 24 hours left in the session. She said opening primaries to unaffiliated voters will expand turnout and democratic buy-in from an increasingly disaffected voter base, particularly young people
New Mexico can only benefit by opening up our primaries - New Mexico Political Report
Looking at the latest voter enrollment figures from the Secretary of State’s Office for February, there are over 328,000 independent voters in New Mexico; nearly a quarter of all voters. SB16 is a solution that invites all our citizens to fully participate in every round of elections that are publicly funded and administered. For me this is a basic issue of fairness and ensuring no voter is disenfranchised
Oregon
Recently, VAV Oregon Veteran leaders and the VAV HQ team submitted testimony in support of the Oregon Unified Primary Act which would open Oregon’s closed (public) primary elections to over 1.2 MIL non affiliated voters in Oregon.
House Bill 3166 would open primaries to all registered voters regardless of party affiliation and create a “unified primary ballot” for all candidates. Under current law, nonaffiliated voters are unable to vote in most primary elections including primaries for congressional, gubernatorial, other statewide offices and legislative candidates. Political parties can open their primaries but most in Oregon, including Democrats and Republicans, hold closed primaries
Will events at the national level help break the hold that the Democratic and Republican parties have over the selection of candidates in Oregon’s closed primaries? That could be one effect of the chaos in Washington D.C. that is disrupting party politics at the local level
Massachusetts
Veterans for All Voters HQ, Eric Bronner hosted a happy hour in Boston where he invited local reform partners as well as veteran volunteers to discuss all of the efforts being led within the state and around the country
New Hampshire
One of those initiatives is now being considered in the New Hampshire legislature under HB 714: The single ballot primary, which would allow all voters and candidates running in an election, regardless of party, to participate on the same primary ballot
Missouri
Our Founder, Eric Bronner spoke at a rally back in February along with Benjamin Singer, co-founder of the Respect Voters Coalition, at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, announcing the launch of an effort to limit the Legislature’s ability to change or restrict citizen ballot initiatives
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