Democrats can cloak their pitches in military pride, too. A new flyer from the Vote Yes on V committee and signed by Rick Weiland and DNC national committeeman Bill Walsh says vote for open nonpartisan primaries because—soldiers!
O.K., the pitch is a little deeper than that. Justin served eight years in the Army. Justin is registered independent. Justin thus can’t vote in Republican primaries (which constitutes a reduced voice, not “no voice” as the flyer says). Justin didn’t fight for partisan politics; Justin fought for democracy for everyone.
Justin, like 113,155 other non-party members, 169,004 Democrats, 1,447 Libertarians, 499 Constitutionists, and 766 others, if he lives in one of the several districts where Republicans field the only candidates for office. The same can be said of 246,712 Republicans who may find themselves devoiced in the fewer districts where Democrats are the only candidates. Amendment V offers Justin, veterans, teachers, full-time parents, fry cooks, retirees, and lots of other South Dakotans more opportunities to vote.
Right at a time when more and more people are registered as Independents voters the SDGOP tries to make it impossible to get Independent candidates names printed on the ballot, and explicitly keep them from voting in their primaries.
The national GOP is using it’s (our) state party against its people in order to attempt damage control on the Donald Trump takeover debacle.