JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A possible change to Missouri election law could help usher in a new era of closed party primaries in the state.
Missouri's open primary system allows voters to choose the ballot of any political party they want on primary day. And under current law, voters aren't asked which political party they belong to when they register.
But legislation on Gov. Mike Parson's desk would give voters the option to affiliate with a political party — a potential precursor to a closed primary system that bars outsiders from participating in a certain party's primary.
The bill on Parson's desk wouldn't close the state's primaries, but two supporters of such a system are behind the legislation. Efforts to close the state's primaries have failed amid pushback from Democrats and some Republicans.
"I would say it's a step in that direction, but I don't have any plans to file, you know, the closed primary bill next year or anything," said state Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, who amended House Bill 1878, a wide-ranging elections bill, on the Senate floor with the new party affiliation option.
Koenig said he worked with state Rep. Dan Stacy, R-Blue Springs, on the party affiliation legislation. Stacy has sponsored legislation to close the state's primaries.
Stacy said the legislation on Parson's desk and his closed primaries bill shouldn't be conflated. But he acknowledged any effort to close primaries would depend on knowing voters' political affiliations.
"That's a correct statement," Stacy said.
Rep. Peter Merideth, D-St. Louis, said the legislation by Koenig and Stacy lays the groundwork for the GOP-led Legislature to close primaries in the future.
"I think they're trying to set up the possibility, of down the road, doing closed primaries," Merideth said. "But that would be hard to do without first starting to establish people having registered with their party."
Supporters of closed primaries have argued allowing voters to participate in whichever primary they choose, regardless of political persuasion, allows outsiders to influence races that should be decided by members of a political party.
Opponents have argued a closed primary system would disenfranchise independents.
And in areas where one political party is dominant, and the party primary effectively determines the eventual winner of the general election, voters who aren't members of the dominant party would be barred from participating in the primary.
Nine states, including Florida, New York and Pennsylvania, operate under a closed primary system.
Under the legislation on Parson's desk, voter registration forms would be changed on Jan. 1 to include the new political affiliation question. Voters would have the option to choose a political party while checking in to vote at any election after Jan. 1.
Those who fill out a voter registration form and don't choose to affiliate with a political party would be designated "unaffiliated."
Voters would be able to change their party affiliation by notifying their local election authority in writing.
Local election authorities would be required to notify voters of the new party affiliation option.
Koenig said under the legislation, someone could register with one party and still choose another party's ballot.
"It keeps our primaries completely open," he said.
Stacy said no one has to claim a party under the legislation.
"It's a voluntary affiliation, which I'm encouraging anybody who tends to affiliate with a certain political ideology to go ahead and affiliate with that party," Stacy said.
