Pennsylvania's State House of Representatives approved legislation on Sept. 29 to allow the state's 1.5 million unaffiliated voters to participate in primary elections, according to commentary published by the R Street Institute. HB 280, which now awaits consideration in the State Senate, would eliminate the requirement that voters affiliate with a political party to cast ballots in primaries. The bipartisan measure represents a major shift toward fairness in publicly funded elections, the organization argues.
Pennsylvania currently operates under a closed primary model, making it one of just eight states that require party affiliation as a condition of voting in primaries. The other 42 states permit at least some level of participation by independent voters, ranging from states like Connecticut and Idaho—where each party can decide whether to open their primary to independents—to states with nonpartisan primaries for most offices, such as Alaska and California. The 1.5 million unaffiliated voters in Pennsylvania represent nearly 17 percent of total statewide registration. Sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jared Solomon, the bill would shift Pennsylvania to a partially open primary where unaffiliated voters could select a ballot for one major party's primary, while registered party members would remain restricted to voting in their own party's primary.
The report argues that moving to an open primary introduces a fundamental measure of fairness into Pennsylvania's election system by permitting all eligible voters to participate in publicly funded elections. Political parties have the right to determine their nominee selection process as private organizations, but "taxpayers should not be obligated to pay for elections that exclude certain segments of the electorate," the commentary states. The measure would also give more Pennsylvanians a voice in the election that truly determines the winner, which in many districts is the primary rather than the general election. Approximately 28 percent of races for Pennsylvania state representative feature only a single candidate on the general election ballot, meaning the primary is the only competitive contest.
According to the report, opening primaries could produce a moderating effect on candidates by giving them an opportunity to broaden their base of support beyond a small segment of the party faithful who vote in low-turnout primaries. Even if unaffiliated voters share many of the same policy positions as party members, including more voters in the process provides additional legitimacy and buy-in to the overall election system, the analysis explains. Under the current closed model, candidates have an incentive to appeal to a narrow slice of the party base. When the November outcome is essentially predetermined because a district's demographics overwhelmingly favor one party, the real competition happens in the primary—and excluding nearly one in six registered voters from that contest creates an inequitable system funded by everyone's tax dollars.
The report describes the bipartisan adoption of HB 280 as an important milestone in the effort to enact open primaries in Pennsylvania. While it's uncertain whether the Senate will act before the 2026 legislative session concludes, continued dissatisfaction with the current two-party system is creating genuine opportunities to advance meaningful primary reform that expands ballot access for all Pennsylvanians. If the bill becomes law, Pennsylvania would join the vast majority of states in allowing independent voters to participate in the elections that matter most.