Florida Democrats are on a losing streak and looking for ways to bounce back. One could be opening up democratic primaries to non-party voters.
Some Democrats are reporting that Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried is behind the scenes discussing the idea of opening up the primary for the state’s 2026 election. Because Florida is a closed primary state, there are 3.4 million NPA members who are not allowed to vote.
Now, a new poll from the Florida Department of Police and the Democratic Party finds not only overwhelming support for such a move, but also broad support for basic reform in general.
The poll, conducted by Florida Open Primaries in collaboration with the national election reform organization Open Primaries and its Let Us Vote campaign, surveyed 1,310 Florida voters (684 NPA voters and 626 Democrats) about their views on several key aspects of the closed Florida primary and the Democratic Party’s discussion of starting the primary.
Key findings:
● 96% of NPAs and 93% of Democrats support a move to open all Florida primaries to NPA voters.
● 80% of the NPA and 87% of Democrats support the Democratic Party starting a unilateral primary election.
● 87% of NPAs and 83% of Democrats support Democrats adopting a broad range of activities in support of initial reforms, including introducing legislation and recognizing past efforts to oppose initial reforms and exclude NPA voters.
“Florida is one of only 14 states that bar independent voters from participating in primaries, meaning 3.4 million voters are being denied the right to vote in taxpayer-funded elections, polling shows. NPA voters and Democratic voters agree that it is time for the Florida Democratic Party to act on holding a primary,” said Kathy Stewart, director of the National Organization for Open Primaries.
