By Yvonne Wingett Sanchez | Arizona Republic
Arizona Democrats are setting the stage for a vote Saturday on an emergency resolution to allow independent voters to participate in the party’s 2020 presidential preference election without first registering as members of the party.
Under the state’s closed presidential preference system, Arizona’s 1.3 million independent voters must change their registration to a designated party by Feb. 18 to vote in the presidential preference election. The presidential preference election is scheduled for March 17.
Democrats and some independents have long argued the closed primary creates confusion and discourages participation by the second-largest bloc of Arizona voters, independents.
State committeemen with the Arizona Democratic Party are expected to debate at a Saturday meeting whether to make “every effort, legal or otherwise,” to open the election, according to the resolution obtained by The Arizona Republic.
The resolution argues an open primary would encourage greater participation — including by Latinos, whose registration numbers have lagged — and draw broader attention to the party’s Democratic presidential candidates. The party hopes this would translate into greater enthusiasm for Democrats up and down the ticket in the November general election.
