Unite America Explains:
The Primary Problem
Independent voters are locked-out
Most elections are decided in primaries, not in November. In nearly 90% of races, the winner of a partisan primary is all but guaranteed to win the general election. But with closed primaries, independent voters—many of them veterans—are locked out.
A tiny fraction of voters hold all the power
In some districts, as few as 5-10% of voters determine who represents everyone. That’s not democracy—it’s a system rigged for division.
Leaders are forced to serve parties, not people
Because politicians only have to win their party’s primary to stay in office, they cater to party insiders and special interests—not the broad electorate.
Solutions that work
To combat uncompetitive, unrepresentative elections that fuel polarization, states should replace partisan primaries with nonpartisan primaries. All candidates run in the same primary — in which all voters can participate — and the top finishers advance to the general election. Whoever earns majority support wins.
We believe many of our problems start with partisan primaries. Nearly half of all veterans identify as political independents and they are prevented from participating in closed primaries.
Instant Runoff Voting (IRV), Approval Voting, and Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) create fairer elections by ensuring winners have broad voter support rather than just a small partisan base. These systems eliminate the “spoiler effect,” reduce negative campaigning, and encourage more candidates to run without fear of splitting the vote. IRV and RCV allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference, ensuring their vote isn’t wasted, while
To combat uncompetitive, unrepresentative elections that fuel polarization, states should replace partisan primaries with nonpartisan primaries. All candidates run in the same primary — in which all voters can participate — and the top finishers advance to the general election. Whoever earns majority support wins.
We believe many of our problems start with partisan primaries. Nearly half of all veterans identify as political independents and they are prevented from participating in closed primaries.
Single-choice, winner-take-all voting can sometimes result in the election of a candidate who earned only a small percentage of the vote. Ranked-choice voting is another voting method which allows voters to rank their favorite candidates in order of preference.
Veterans for All Voters (VAV) partners with local reform organizations key states to support efforts that make elections fairer and more representative.
We provide strategic resources, amplify their message, and mobilize veterans to advocate or defend reforms in the state. By uniting pro-democracy groups with veteran leadership, we help drive real change.
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