US voters want significant primary election reforms

Large majorities of Americans in both parties support requiring states to open congressional primaries to all voters, according to a new poll sponsored by Unite America and shared first with Semafor.

Seven in 10 registered voters surveyed in RealClear Opinion Research’s national survey want to open the primary, while only 20 percent oppose it.

Many states only allow registered partisan voters to participate in primaries, resulting in a low percentage of voters choosing candidates. And in many red or blue districts, primaries effectively decide the general election.

With that in mind, 60% of respondents support “top two” elections like California’s system and 62% support a ranked choice “top four” election like Alaska.

The poll also found that 53% of respondents view American democracy as “weak” and that half of respondents disapprove of the job Trump has done as president.