Right now, politicians in Texas are trying to change the rules of our elections. Their plan is to close Texas’ primary elections so only registered party members can vote. If they succeed, millions of Texans — especially independents, moderates, and anyone who chooses not to register with a political party — would lose their voice in deciding who makes it onto the November ballot.

For decades, Texas has had open primaries. That system allowed every voter to choose one party’s primary to participate in, giving Texans a fair chance to shape the choices that appear on Election Day. Closing the primaries would break that tradition and shift power away from ordinary people and into the hands of party insiders and the most extreme factions.

The consequences would be serious. Millions of Texans would be shut out of the process entirely. Our politics would become even more polarized, since candidates would only need to appeal to the narrowest slice of voters. And taxpayers would still be forced to fund elections that many of them would not even be allowed to take part in.

This effort is not about fairness or safety. It is about control. Politicians want to rig the rules so they can pick their preferred candidates instead of letting the people decide. That is not democracy. That is manipulation.

We cannot let this happen. We call on Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson, Governor Greg Abbott, and the Texas Legislature to reject any attempt to close Texas primaries. Lawsuits and backroom deals must not be allowed to take away the voice of the voters.

Every Texan deserves the right to help decide who will appear on their ballot. Closing the primaries would silence millions and weaken our democracy at its core.

Sign this petition to demand that Texas leaders keep primaries open and stop politicians from rigging our elections against voters.