Editorial: Open up Florida primary elections

Florida's political system is broken. Few congressional or legislative districts are competitive for both Democrats and Republicans, and the closed primary elections shut out voters with no party affiliation, the fastest growing group of voters. The system discourages centrist candidates and encourages extremism from members of both political parties in Congress and the Florida Legislature, and the time is ripe for reform.

A proposed constitutional amendment to change Florida's primary elections is a well-intended effort to involve all voters and encourage more mainstream candidates from both political parties who could better reach consensus in Washington and Tallahassee. The All Voters Vote amendment would allow all voters to vote in primaries for Congress, the Legislature, governor and Cabinet. There would be one primary ballot for each office and the top two finishers, regardless of party affiliation, would advance to the general election. In the primaries for state offices, candidates receiving more than 50 percent of the vote would be elected.

The amendment has some attraction. It is supported by former Florida State University president Sandy D'Alemberte and by Jim Smith, the former attorney general and secretary of state who held elected office as both a Democrat and a Republican. It would benefit centrist candidates such as Smith, who was well-qualified to be governor but too conservative to win the Democratic nomination in the 1980s, and too moderate to win the Republican nomination in the 1990s. It would raise voter turnout in primary elections, which would be open to all voters and now are too often low-turnout contests that attract only the most partisan party activists.

But it also is far from clear that the so-called blanket primary is the best election change for Florida and that the amendment could win the required 60 percent voter approval if it makes the 2016 ballot. Only California, Washington and Louisiana are using this pure top-two primary system for all of these state and federal offices. It would be a dramatic change for Florida that the political parties would be sure to fight, and it could result in general elections where the two remaining candidates are from the same political party.

A more gradual step would be to maintain primary elections for Republicans and Democrats but let all voters decide which primary they want to vote in when they cast their ballots. Nearly two dozen states use some form of this open primary system, which also should increase voter participation and produce more centrist elected officials from both political parties. In the general election, there still would be the familiar choice between a Democrat and Republican, who each might be attractive to crossover voters. At the very least, Florida primary elections should be opened to voters with no party affiliation.

Any talk of opening up primary elections raises concerns about free association and the ability of political parties to choose their candidates. But the actions of the elected officials and the political parties have created the need for significant change. The Legislature has failed to draw fair districts and it has taken the courts to force lawmakers to follow the constitutional amendments approved by the voters. Primary elections are supposed to be open now when those elections determine who takes office, but both political parties have sabotaged that by recruiting write-in candidates to keep the primaries closed.

With few competitive districts and closed primaries, Florida's legislators and members of Congress tend to be less moderate than the state's voters and have little to fear in general elections. The biggest concern of both Republicans and Democrats is that they will be outflanked by a primary challenger appealing to the most fervent partisan voters, which creates little incentive for compromise or bipartisanship.

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The drive for a constitutional amendment should trigger a healthy public debate about reforming Florida elections. It may not be the best or the most pragmatic change, but it's a safe bet it would encourage more mainstream candidates, attract more voters and create more competitive elections.