Were you one of the millions of Americans disenfranchised by your state's strange primary or caucus rules? If you weren’t I’m sure you knew someone who was; literally millions of voters in New York were disenfranchised this year due to the restrictive primary rules. Primaries aren’t the only problem. In 2008, only 4% of Democrats made it through Iowa’s arcane caucus process to cast their vote for Obama, and Mike Huckabee, the Republican victor, attracted the support of a mere 2% of Iowa adults.  Do these numbers seem representative of the people? Is this how we want to elect our leaders?

Every state has its own set of rules and regulations concerning the way it handles the Presidential primary process. These rules vary considerably from state to state, and tracking down the correct rules for your state can be a confusing and overwhelming process. Anger, frustration, and disenfranchisement are the result, not democracy.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a system of electing presidential candidates that works FOR the people instead of against them? The Democratic and Republican Parties have been empowered to establish the rules regarding the primary process. This year let's ask them to do just that.

Let’s ask them to fix our convoluted primary process by creating consistent and common-sense guidelines that will be followed predictably by all states.

In signing this petition, you agree to recommend:

1. Consistent Registration Timelines: We ask that all states follow a consistent, timed schedule for voters to: a) register to vote, b) update their voter information, c) change party affiliations.
2. The respective party will post information for all state guidelines and due dates in a single web location.
3. Semi-Closed Primaries: In a semi-closed primary, unaffiliated (Independent) voters may choose which party primary to vote in, while voters registered with a party may only vote in that party's primary. Representing a middle ground between the exclusion of independent voters in a closed primary and the free-for-all of open primaries, the semi-closed primary eliminates concerns about voters registered in other parties from "raiding" another party's nominating contest.
4. Discontinue caucuses: Caucuses create confusion, pressure, and take a tremendous amount of time to participate in. They don't work for voters. We ask that all states convert to the primary vote process.
5. Vote by Mail: Oregon has had great success with this system, and we recommend all states work to convert to this system.  This allows the greatest number of people to participate in the vote.
6. Same Day Registration: (SDR) allows eligible voters to register to vote and cast their ballots on the same day. This one-stop process for registering and voting may be offered on Election Day, during the early voting period [when voting by mail], or both. Eligible voters can also use Same-Day Registration to correct an outdated voter registration record and cast a ballot that will be counted.

A petition is your chance to make a difference. Don't wait, Add your name and be heard!  

• Like the Your Vote Counts Facebook Page - We will post updates as we grow, and provide access to other relevant information.
• View the Your Vote Counts website
• Help the cause and tweet: #yourvotecounts

References:

democracynow.org -millions of New Yorkers disenfranchised from vote​

journalistsresource.org - primaries/voter participation in presidential primaries and caucuses​

fairvote.org - open and closed primaries​

wikipedia.org - vote by mail in Oregon​

demos.org- what is same day registration