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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Election officials fine Richardson for late reporting of rent-free home Ski survey gets heavy response Recap of Mt. Ashland Ski Area survey A Grizzly week of homecoming activity Sheriff a no-show at Ashland Chamber forum Education AHS drops homecoming king, queen A busy homecoming week for AHS students Sportsology returns to ScienceWorks Your child's best best bet for success? It's you Beyond the home: Housing options, continued Environment Annual tour shows how to live green Taking action here, now on global climate change Garden serves up a feast fit for monarchs Only voters can make a tree tops in town Getting away from — and back into — it all Business Ski survey gets heavy response John Kalb, Ashland chiropractor The Coffee Window Oregon job report shows labor force growth Fretwell Music Politics and elections Election officials fine Richardson for late reporting of rent-free home Sheriff a no-show at Ashland Chamber forum New script for film ordinance sent back to rewrite November elections right around the corner Matthew T. Mangino: Federal government complicit in militarization of police State News Nation - World Obituaries Death Notices Susan Carol Loube Burnath M. Morgan Clyde Moore Death Notices Sports Latest Stories Raiders bury Geoducks in Cascade Conference opener A Grizzly week of homecoming activity Ashland readies for another hot quarterback on homecoming night SOU wrestler headed to NAIA Hall SOU tilt moved to US Cellular High school A Grizzly week of homecoming activity Ashland readies for another hot quarterback on homecoming night Grizzlies fight back, bite Crater in five No. 9 Raiders pull away from Coyotes No. 2 Grizzlies put on a show Southern Oregon University Raiders bury Geoducks in Cascade Conference opener SOU wrestler headed to NAIA Hall SOU tilt moved to US Cellular Raiders jump to No. 7 in Top 25 McShane becoming SOU's game-breaker Opinion Latest Stories Granlund cartoon: Eric Holder resigns Letters to the Editor, Sept. 25 Granlund cartoon: US bombs ISIS Keep film ordinance simple Remembering a very prominent local lady Editorial Keep film ordinance simple Don’t ban smoking on the beach A perennial problem No time for complacency Our View: Ralph Temple fought on for social justice Letters Letters to the Editor, Sept. 25 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 22 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 20 Letters to the Editor, Sept.17 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 11 Guest opinions Remembering a very prominent local lady Remembering a simpler time in Ashland Fostering a culture of peace in Ashland Stuck on the sands of hesitation Open our elections and empower more voters Revels Latest Stories Camelot Theatre presents 'Spotlight on Johnny Mercer' John Reischman and the Jaybirds Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas 4 things to do this weekend Community blog: Workshop explores travel and description Theater Camelot Theatre presents 'Spotlight on Johnny Mercer' Southern Oregon hosts its Lunacy Theatre Festival Friends of Jim Giancarlo remember Ashland theater icon Freud v. Lewis: Intellectual heavyweights spar over life's big issues 'Freud's Last Session" at Ashland Contemporary Theatre Music John Reischman and the Jaybirds Q&A: Acousta Noir The Jeff Stanley Trio at Lounge South Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas New script for film ordinance sent back to rewrite Still stifling laughter 40 years after 'Young Frankenstein' 'The Drop' hits all the marks Movie listings for Varsity Theatre, Ashland Street Cinemas Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Parsi cultural history served up on a plate Community Blog: Predicting Peace - Part 2 of 7 Beyond the home: Housing options, continued Spirit to spirit: Listening to plants What's the worst that could happen? She'll tell you Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW Election officials fine Richardson for late reporting of rent-free home ... A Grizzly week of homecoming activity ... Sheriff a no-show at Ashland Chamber forum ... Election officials fine Richardson for late reporting of rent-free home ... A Grizzly week of homecoming activity ... Sheriff a no-show at Ashland Chamber forum ... GUEST OPINION Open our elections and empower more voters By Rich Rohde DailyTidings.com By Rich Rohde Posted Sep. 18, 2014 @ 12:01 am By Rich Rohde Posted Sep. 18, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News I have been active in the Rogue Valley on numerous social justice issues for decades, always with a focus on making our community a better place for working people and our political system a bit more open for democratic participation by residents of Southern Oregon. Over the years I have spent countless hours registering people to vote, because voting is a basic act of civic participation. And in that time I have observed a clear trend: increasingly I see people disenchanted with our political system and “voting with their feet” by choosing alternatives to the two major parties. Many register as non-affiliated voters. Many register as a member of one of the state’s minor political parties. In fact, I count myself among them — I registered as a member of the Working Families Party because I felt that best represented my beliefs. However, Oregon is one of just 12 states in the country that still maintain a closed partisan primary system, which means that only registered members of the Democratic and Republican parties can vote in our primary elections. I — and lots of people like me — can’t vote in the primary elections for state legislature, governor, etc. This is a big deal. When you look at the actual results of our election system you will observe that the primary election matters a lot. In fact, up to 90 percent of Oregon elections are determined in the primary. In a “safe” Republican district, the winner of the Republican primary gets a walk to the general election. The same goes for a Democrat running in a “safe” Democratic district. This is why I am supporting Ballot Measure 90. It would open up our primary elections to all voters regardless of party affiliation. It would give everyone an equal say in choosing our leaders because all voters would receive the same primary ballot with all candidates for office on the ballot. Candidates will be listed along with the party they are registered in (or no party if they are registered as non-affiliated), as well as any parties that have endorsed that candidate. This provides more information for voters, and allows candidates the ability to express their values on the ballot where all voters can see them. Over time, this will increase our current low voter turnout in primaries when all are allowed a meaningful vote. The leadership of the Democratic and Republican parties oppose Measure 90. They explain their opposition to Measure 90 as “protecting choice” on the general election ballot. However, I believe that having the illusion of choice is not the same as actually having a choice. For the 650,000 Oregon voters — myself included — who are now locked out of voting in the primary because we have chosen not to register with one of the major parties, it is quite likely that we will not have a choice at all. Our general election “choice” often consists of voting for a major party candidate who at best has a token opponent and at worst has no opposition at all. I believe wholeheartedly that we need campaign finance reform in Oregon to establish limits on our out-of-control campaign spending. But limiting the number of voters who can vote may be smarter and cheaper for the major parties, yet it is a very bad idea for our democracy. Having an election system that writes off large swaths of the state in favor of focusing all the election campaigning on a few “swing” district voters is no different than the way in which Ohio and Florida seem to be the only states that matter in our presidential elections. I know there are people of good will in both of the major parties, but it is becoming increasingly untenable for the leadership of those parties to resist reforms to meet the changing needs and demographics of the state. I am voting yes on Measure 90 because the status quo of our elections system is not working, and I believe it is time we allow all voters to have a choice in the primaries when it matters. Rich Rohde lives in Ashland. 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