I used to believe "closed" primaries were an essential element of the two-party system. Primary elections exist for each of our two major political parties to carry their party banner and support the party platform in the general election. It made sense to require those participating in those elections to at least be registered as Democratic or Republican voters. Those who declined to do so, called "independent" or "non-aligned" voters, can wait for the general election.
Let Them Vote: A Democrat Rethinks Primary Access
