Kentucky’s closed primary system is an affront to our democracy | Opinion

Yes! You’ve been busy. The holiday season offers us many enjoyable activities to share with family and friends. Certainly, this isn’t the time to think about election deadlines and partisan politics. Which is exactly why the Kentucky political system has made Dec. 31, the last day that registered voters can change their political party affiliation for voting in the upcoming primary election.

Kentucky’s primary election, scheduled on May 19, 2026, is where the voters choose the candidates for the general election. But not ALL the voters. Independents, like me, are barred by Kentucky law from voting in them. That is a full 19 weeks after the Dec. 31, 2025 deadline. So, you, being busy, are probably not thinking about it and guess what, the state of Kentucky prefers it that way.

I am one of 326,262 Kentuckians registered as an independent voter, categorized as “Other” in the Kentucky’s voter registry. Our state is one of only 14 states where state law requires closed primaries for congressional or state-level offices. This means citizens registered as “Other” are excluded from voting in Kentucky’s primary elections.

Now you may say, that isn’t my problem — you should change. No! The consequences go much deeper. Independent voters, like me, are not undecided voters. We chose not to be affiliated because neither party represents our values. We support a simple yet seemingly radical idea that no American citizen should be required to join a political party to exercise their right to vote. It’s the same radical idea that our country was founded on — no taxation without representation. Because that’s what closed primaries represent. We all pay for these elections —they are not private party affairs, but government sponsored and paid for public elections.

When every Kentuckian gets to vote, politicians become more representative because they are accountable to all of us, not just the many extremes who vote in the primary. The primary is the election that really matters. Roughly 85% of congressional seats are effectively decided in the primary not the general election. Candidates step into leadership roles after “winning” in unopposed or uncompetitive general elections. By excluding independent voters, we allow a tiny fraction of the population (often just 10%) to decide the winning candidate for everyone else. Open primaries would also improve the dismal voter turnout, restore the loss of civility in discourse, and renew the value of selfless service.

Consider that the fastest growing voter block in the United States are voters registering as Independents. Presently, 61% of young voters (18 to 25 years old) and half of military veterans — like me — are independent. We are shutting out thousands of Kentuckians citizens who want to vote. This is wrong. We can do better.

The mission of Let Us Vote Kentucky is to advocate for open and nonpartisan primary systems and educate voters and policymakers about reform. All Kentuckians can go to https://kentucky.letusvote.org and begin to build us a better place to live.

Mark Ritter is a retired Lieutenant Colonel with the United States Army Reserve and also retired from a concurrent career with the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection. He lives in Frankfort, Kentucky and advocates for https://kentucky.letusvote.org.