In Oregon elections, Democrats are able to vote in a Democratic primary and Republicans are able to vote in the Republican primary.

That leaves out about 44% of voters who are either unaffiliated or members of a minor party such as the Independent Party or Libertarian.

For years, advocates seeking to overhaul the state’s election system have tried to open Oregon’s primary elections to all voters. In 2024, an attempt to do so failed to qualify for the ballot. This election cycle, they will try again, and this time they have a prominent backer.

Two new initiatives recently filed would let voters consider whether to amend the state law and the state’s constitution and open primaries to all voters.

The effort has a big name behind it. Former Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski is one of the chief petitioners, along with former state Rep. Cheri Helt, R-Bend, and Andrew Kaza, who is the co-chair of the state Independent Party of Oregon.

Kulongoski noted he’s worked in all three branches of government: as a member of the state Legislature, as the state’s attorney general, and as a justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. He also served two terms as governor.

The former governor said he’s become worried the two major parties, his included, are appealing more to special interest groups and those with money, as opposed to a broader swath of the electorate. He notes that the number of voters who are no longer affiliated with a specific party is growing.

“When this is on the ballot, half of the people in the state will be neither Democrats or Republican registered. And I think that the party should have to make an appeal to those independents as to why they think their candidate is the best one,” Kulongoski said.

Initiative 55 would amend the state constitution to get rid of partisan primaries. A separate proposal, Initiative 56, would change the primary process to a ranking-style system with all candidates listed on a single ballot, with the top two candidates advancing to the general election. The same three people are backing both initiatives and are calling the two the “Voters Fairness Act.”

To qualify for the November 2026 ballot, petitioners will need to collect 156,000 signatures to amend the constitution to enact a top two primary system and 117,000 to change the state law to open up party primaries.

“I think there is a wide swath of people that cuts across party lines that want to see this happen,” Kaza, with the Independent Party, said in an interview with OPB. “Oregon is an outlier and not in a good way with this closed primary system.”

Some efforts to overhaul the ballot appeared on the ballot last year. Oregonians had an opportunity in 2024 to establish ranked-choice voting statewide, but rejected the ballot measure.appeared

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/10/24/oregon-open-primaries-election-system-voters-kulongoski/