| Editorial Board | The Washington Post |
The Democratic Party enjoys ironclad control over the capital city, as it does most major American metropolises. That has made D.C.’s primary elections the only meaningful contests for residents to have a voice over their local government. Yet those elections are open only to those who register with a party. That excludes around 85,000 independents — about a sixth of the city’s voters — from having any meaningful say over the next mayor.
”What are they afraid of?
In 2024, more than 70 percent of D.C. voters approved a ballot measure, Initiative 83, that would allow independent voters to participate in primaries. It also adopted a ranked-choice voting system.
Yet the city’s party leaders have resisted the changes. They not only filed a lawsuit to block the initiative but also withheld funding necessary to implement it.
Whatever they say, it’s clear that many Democratic politicians don’t want to have to make their case to independent voters. What are they afraid of?