A new poll has revealed strong support among Florida’s No Party Affiliation (NPA) voters and registered Democrats for the state’s Democratic Party to open its primary to the 3.4 million independent voters currently excluded.
The survey, conducted by Florida Open Primaries in partnership with the national election reform group Open Primaries and its Let Us Vote campaign, found widespread support for primary reform, adding momentum to a debate publicly discussed by Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried.
The poll questioned 1,310 Florida voters (684 NPA voters and 626 Democrats) on key aspects of the state’s closed primary system and the Democratic Party’s consideration of opening its own primary election.
The findings show near-universal agreement between the two groups on the broader issue of primary reform:
- A stunning 96% of NPAs and 93% of Democrats support a move to open all Florida primary elections to NPA voters.
- Regarding the Democratic Party acting alone, 80% of NPAs and 87% of Democrats support the Democratic Party unilaterally opening its primary.
- Furthermore, there is strong support for the party to take a broader stand on reform: 87% of NPAs and 83% of Democrats support the Democratic Party adopting a wider set of activities in support of primary reform, including legislation and acknowledging past opposition to primary reform.
Florida Open Primaries leaders emphasized the mutual benefits of such a move.
“These poll results confirm that NPAs voting in the Florida Democratic primary would be a ‘win-win’ for both NPAs and the Democratic Party,” said John Marvin (NPA). “The 3.4 million Florida NPAs would be able to vote in some of the most consequential elections—elections paid for by their hard-earned tax dollars.”
Lenny Guckenheimer (D), a 15-year active local Florida Democrat, echoed this, stating, “Closed primaries are unfair to independent voters who comprise about one-third of Florida voters… Democrats and independents are aligned—an open primary will make the Democratic Party stronger.”
Cathy Stewart, Open Primaries National Organizing Director, highlighted Florida’s status as one of only 14 states that bar independent voters from primaries, effectively denying 3.4 million voters a voice in taxpayer-funded elections. “As the polling results demonstrate—NPA voters and Democratic Party voters agree that the time has come for the Florida Democratic Party to act to open their primaries,” Stewart concluded.
The poll results offer a compelling data point for Chair Fried and the Florida Democratic Party as they weigh the potential impacts of extending voting access to millions of Floridians ahead of future election cycles.
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