A quick note on primaries

I know there have been some concerns for third party voters on being left out of primaries. I do think something should be done about that; I don't think it should be allowing them to vote in either of the main primaries.

My reasoning is largely based on memories of liberal friends who were registered Republican so they could vote for the candidate with the least chance of winning the general election. I'm not sure that they ever had much of an impact, but the thought that people might vote for the purposes of weakening a party stuck with me. Granted, that option is still available, but at least make them go through the trouble of registering.

The primary is not about who ultimately wins, but who represents your party in the general election. Granted, it's hard to get there without the support of one of the main parties, but in an essentially two-party system, that's how it goes.

Potential solutions can get tricky. The secret ballot is valuable, so you don't want to compromise its security. Currently having separate ballots for each party resolves that.

It might be helpful to look at how third parties choose their candidate. In Oregon for governor and president we have often had three other candidates represented. Do those party members caucus, or are candidates selected by party heads?

Another option might be an all write-in ballot. This could be handy in showing whether the independent and third party voters are leaning more toward the Republican or Democrat slate. This year there has been more of a focus on people who would like to vote for Sanders being shut out, but there are probably a fair amount of Libertarians out there that are not registered Republican but might be interested in that ticket.

Okay, you might be thinking but those are terrible people who will vote for Trump, but they could also try voting for Sanders so Trump has a better chance of winning. I'm not comfortable with deciding anyone's general vote doesn't count, but in the primaries, I kind of am.

One thing about that is that frequently, with Oregon having a late primary, my vote for the presidential candidate has come after the issue was already decided. Sometimes I would vote for the purpose of sending a message, and always I would vote because I believe it's important, but I do understand feeling like you don't get a say in the primary, and that's not a great feeling.

However, what I also understand is that for a long time I was the only Democrat in my family, but it was a choice I made, based on my values. As imperfect as that is, it means something to me.

If you specifically don't want to be a Democrat, but you still feel like you should have a say in who represents the party, no. You're not getting the fundraising calls. You're not taking the surveys. It's not for you.

Maybe you can work harder to make your own party more prominent. While we haven't had a successful third party presidential run yet, there have been for lots of other positions, and that can be built upon.

Maybe you don't want to be affiliated with a party at all. Okay, then the general elections are for you. If you feel strongly about a specific candidate, there are probably things you can do to help the campaign.

There are lots of options, some of which don't infringe on others. Focus on those.