New Poll: As Midterms Loom, Voters Back Open Primaries to Make Congress Work Better

With primary season set to kick off on March 3, a new national survey from RealClear Opinion Research/Emerson Polling, sponsored by the Unite America Institute, finds rare cross-partisan agreement that party primaries are a top driver of political division — and strong support for opening primaries to all voters as a solution.

Key findings include:

• 59% say party primaries contribute to political division.
• 70% say Congress is not effectively addressing major problems like the cost of living, immigration, and healthcare.
• 71% support requiring states to hold open primaries — including 79% of Democrats, 70% of independents, and 65% of Republicans.
• Open primaries topped the list of reforms respondents thought would reduce polarization.

“Party primaries weren’t written into the Constitution, but today they’re fueling the partisanship our founders warned about,” said Unite America Executive Director Nick Troiano. “Two hundred and fifty years into the American experiment, voters are sending a clear message: our democracy is neither representative nor responsive to the will of the people. Primaries are the biggest solvable problem fueling division and dysfunction today — and voters across the political spectrum back open primaries as a practical fix.”

The poll comes as Americans prepare for a primary season that is already defined by a lack of competition. According to the Cook Political Report’s latest House race ratings, 399 of 435 seats (92%) are “safe” for one party or the other — and therefore will be effectively decided in the primaries. When presented with this reality, that the vast majority of elections are determined in primaries, 81% of respondents said it was a problem.

In addition to identifying the lack of competition as a problem, the poll also finds widespread concern among voters about barriers to participation and turnout in primaries:

• 84% think it’s a problem that closed primaries in 16 states limit or outright bar 16.5 million independent voters from participating
• 89% consider low midterm primary turnout to be a problem
• Overall, a majority of voters (52%) said they think primaries are broken and need to change.

While voters are frustrated by polarization, Congress’ inability to address major problems, and primaries generally, the survey also shows they see open primaries as a practical reform to change incentives and improve governance.

• 73% agree open primaries would produce better candidates who appeal to a majority of voters, not just their base.
• 72% agree open primaries would help produce a Congress that better represents the people and is better able to tackle big problems.

“Voters aren’t asking for politicians who compromise on their principles — they’re asking for a Congress that can get things done,” Troiano added. “Open primaries are a practical way to change the incentives so candidates are rewarded for governing, not punished.”

Methodology

This RealClear Opinion Research survey was conducted January 9-11 among a national sample of 1,500 active registered voters. Data was collected by contacting cellphones via MMS-to-web text and an online panel of registered voters, matched to the voter file. The survey has a credibility interval of +/- 2.4 percentage points. 

Memo from the pollster is available here; crosstabs available upon request.

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Unite America is a philanthropic venture fund that invests in nonpartisan election reform to foster a more representative and functional government.

RealClear Opinion Research is a public opinion polling and research organization affiliated with RealClearPolitics.