United States: Event was Hosted by Steelers Champion Rocky Bleier and Former State Senator Jack Wagner, Both U.S. Veterans Pittsburgh, City in Pennsylvania- Southwest, the Former Steelers champion Rocky Bleier and former State Senator Jack Wagner, both of whom are Vietnam War veterans, last week held a luncheon event in Brentwood, Pennsylvania to kick off the Southwestern PA effort of Ballot PA Vets.
Convening veterans as well as friends and family members of veterans, the event focused on the need to repeal closed primaries in Pennsylvania so that all registered voters, including those registered as independent, are able to vote in primary elections in the state.
According to Ballot PA research, half of all veterans identify as political independents. With more than 800,000 veterans living in the commonwealth, some 400,000 may be registered as independents. The commonwealth is only one of nine states denying these veterans the right to vote in primaries.
In Pennsylvania, voters must be registered as either Democrats or Republicans in order to vote in a primary election. Even though all taxpayers shoulder the cost of administering elections, independent as well as unaffiliated voters cannot cast their votes, a system that disenfranchised 1.1 million Pennsylvanians from the primary election each cycle.
“Imagine explaining to a Pennsylvania veteran registered as an independent that they can’t vote in a primary election. They can’t vote for a governor who oversees the National Guard. They can’t vote for members of Congress who could authorize a war. They can’t vote for a Commander-in-Chief who could ask them to lay their life on the line for their nation.
It’s simply un-American, and it’s unfair,” said Rocky Bleier. “That is why we gathered in Pittsburgh today. It’s time to repeal closed primaries so we can give a stronger voice to the thousands of veterans whose experience and values do not fit squarely into a partisan box.”
“Veterans sincerely appreciate the traditions and values of our country, and many hesitate to do anything that divides us as Americans, even if that means registering with a political party. After fighting for our values and traditions, closed primaries block many veterans from exercising their fundamental rights because they do not want to identify with a party,” said former Senator Jack Wagner. “This is wrong. Veterans’ votes matter. It’s time to change the status quo and repeal closed primaries in Pennsylvania.”
Data show that voters who do not vote in the primary, including independents who are not allowed to cast votes then, often also don’t vote in the general election. This means that closed primaries not only have a significant effect on the results of primary elections but also have a domino effect that dramatically impacts voter turnout for the general election, and thereby also skews election results. Veterans, who dedicate their lives to upholding American values of freedom and democracy, should not experience such disenfranchisement when it comes to participating in the very democratic process they have spent their lives protecting. As the general election nears, it is critical for all Pennsylvanians to cast their votes; today’s lunch not only kicked off the Southwestern chapter of Ballot PA Vets, but also urged veterans to go to the polls on election day in November, even if they did not or could not vote in the May primary.
“Veterans are the enablers of our democracy. Shutting them out from part of the voting process, the most fundamental right of our nation, flies in the face of their dedicated service. It’s time to change this antiquated system to enable all registered voters, not just those affiliated with a ‘D’ or an ‘R’, to vote on primary election day,” said David Thornburgh, Chair of Ballot PA.
“It is an honor to work with such esteemed Pennsylvanians as Mr. Bleier and Sen. Wagner. I am thrilled to have their support for the Ballot PA effort as we work together to educate more veterans and independent voters about this unfair process and why it needs to change.”
Ballot PA Vets is led by veterans and community leaders from across Pennsylvania. Bleier and Brigadier General (Retired) Wilbur Wolf serve as Honorary Co-Chairs, focusing on education and the need to repeal closed primaries on behalf of veterans in Pennsylvania. Veterans and community leaders Marilyn Kelly-Cavotta, Hon. Barb Cross, Hon. Patrick J. Murphy, and Hon. Jack Wagner serve as State Co-Chairs for the effort.
Ballot PA is a growing coalition of civic, community, veteran, as well as business organizations committed to open and free elections in Pennsylvania, United States that lead to responsive as well as accountable government.
Ballot PA is a project from the nonpartisan nonprofit Committee of Seventy, Pennsylvania’s oldest good government group. It is chaired by former Committee of Seventy CEO David Thornburgh.
