More Outreach to Elected Officials, Candidates and Party Leaders

Steve Richardson of the Virginia Independent Voter Alliance and member of the Eyes on 2020 Presidential Candidate Cabinet Outreach team got to the heart of the matter in a letter he sent to former Governor William Weld, who announced the formation of an exploratory committee for the Republican presidential nomination several weeks ago. Steve brought Weld up to speed on the Eyes on 2020 campaign including the letter to Perez and wrote:

“While we do not expect Democrats in every state to welcome Independents, we do believe they will seriously consider the option. It is far less likely that Republicans will like the idea, but together we may be able to help them see that this election is about far more than keeping or installing a party member in the White House; it’s about restoring Americans’ faith in our electoral system. Framed this way, Republicans have far more at stake. With or without open primaries, the Democrats are giving voice to anti-Trump sentiment and there is plenty of competition. Closed Republican primaries will only confirm all but the most loyal GOP voters’ suspicions that the party has sold its soul.” Full letter here.

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Cabinet member Dr. Jessie Fields organized a group of New Mexico indies to send a letter to newly elected Congresswoman Debra Haaland, one of the first Native American women to be elected to Congress.

“We know you appreciate how important it is for American democracy to be truly inclusive,” s

tates the letter. “We are among the 26 million independent voters who were excluded from voting in the 2016 presidential primaries. In New Mexico 19% of Native American registered voters are independents. Among the grouping of voters who self-identify as independents nationally, 30% are African American voters, 41% are Hispanic voters, and over 50% are young voters.

Full letter here.

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New Jersey Independent Voters reached out to Democratic Party Chair John Currie to discuss opening New Jersey presidential primaries, and will be reaching out to Republican Chair Doug Steinhardt and other leaders in New Jersey regarding New Jersey independents’ participation in the primaries. Sue Davies, leader of New Jersey Independent Voters and member of the Eyes on 2020 cabinet reported on the outreach in a letter to the editor published in several newspapers. She wrote:

“I am one of the 2.4 million independent voters in New Jersey. Independents outnumber both the Democrats and the Republicans here, yet we are excluded from the primaries and locked out of the most important electoral decisions in our state. That means a whopping 40% of NJ voters are effectively disenfranchised.”

Read Sue Davies’ Letter to the Editor, “Independents Want to Vote in New Jersey Primaries” (NJ Today)

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