I didn't leave my political party; my party left me. Both of them.

I've been a Democrat, and I've been a Republican. What I am now doesn't matter. The point is that a lot of American voters feel perpetually frustrated by the choices they find on the November ballot. The Democratic or Republican candidate is often chosen in low-turnout primaries where organized ideologues or special interest groups select the nominee.

Right now, about 47% of registered American voters do not affiliate with a party. That's almost half the electorate. Independents are the largest group of registered voters in 10 states.

Yet across much of the country, that huge chunk of voters is shut out of partisan primaries. If their state is solidly red, as is the case in conservative Oklahoma or Texas, the Republican is almost sure to win the general election. In liberal Maryland or Oregon, the Democrat can almost take victory for granted.

There used to be very little discussion of independent voters. In 1961, 80% of Americans belonged to either the Democratic or Republican party and talk about "unaffiliated" voters tended toward the derogatory. They were generally written off as disgruntled Republicans or Democrats.

"Outside the presidential race, for most Americans, it's a one-party country," explains Jeremy Gruber, senior vice president of Open Primaries, a nonpartisan group that advocates for letting all voters participate in primary elections. "When you have a one-party state, the general election is largely meaningless. The dominant party's primary is the only important election."

Open primaries do not seem to favor one party over the other. About 15 states run strictly open primaries. They include Massachusetts, Alaska and North Carolina. These states are worlds apart demographically and ideologically.

And there's a mistaken belief that independent voters tend to be conservative white men. Not the case. They are now heavily Latino. Apparently, 52% of Latino voters are unaffiliated.

"Like Latinos nationally," wrote Mike Madrid, author of "The Latino Century," "Latinos in California are the least partisan bloc of voters in the state."

Open Primaries sees similar trends in Asian communities. Gruber points out that many immigrants come from countries where party membership has a negative connotation.

Younger Americans are among the least likely groups of voters to join a party. Nationally, 57% of Gen Z and 54% of millennials are independent.

Given these numbers, it's striking that three big American cities still run fully closed partisan primaries. They are New York City, Philadelphia and Baltimore. All three are solidly Democratic-controlled.

Yet there are more independent voters in New York City than Republicans. Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic nomination for mayor with the support of only 11% of the city's registered voters.

A group called UniteNY is pushing for open primaries as a civil rights issue. Its July 2026 Voter Empowerment Index found that two-thirds of New Yorkers favored open primaries. That would presumably include many registered Democrats.

There's a strong legal argument for opening the primaries. The Democratic and Republican parties are both private entities. State and local governments run the primaries with taxpayer money. When independents call their boards of election to ask why they can't vote in an important primary race, the most bureaucrats can often offer is to help them join a party so that their voice can be heard.

But, Gruber rightly asks, "Why should Americans have to join a party whose agenda they don't believe in to participate in the selection of their leaders?"

Special interests of both parties understandably like the concentration of power that closed primaries confer. But we who are so often unhappy with the choices in the general election do not agree: Closed primaries are bad for the democracy.

Follow Froma Harrop on X @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at [email protected]. To find out more about Froma Harrop and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Web page at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Marek Studzinski at Unsplash