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Currently, Democrats are allowed to vote in the Republican primaries here in the state of Texas, thanks to our open primary system. This is something GOP activists have been complaining about for years, and it appears that action is finally being taken.
There are currently two bills before the state legislature that would close the Texas primaries: HB-951 in the House, filed by Representative Mike Schofield (R-Katy), and SB-2648 in the Senate, filed by Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston).
These bills would institute a closed primary system, requiring anyone voting in a party primary to be a registered member of that party. Nineteen county GOP chairs sent a joint letter to the Texas legislature urging the legislature to support the bills.
That letter read in part, "Our party, like any other private organization, has the right to determine its nominees without interference from those who do not share our values or principles."
Harris County GOP chair Cindy Siegel signed on to the letter, and she stated that this should have happened years ago. She said, "I think it's long overdue. It was voted on at the state convention last summer, and it passed pretty overwhelmingly."
Siegel went on to point out that many of the recent issues we've seen in the Texas House stem from our open primary system. She said, "We've seen it in recent elections, recent primaries, Democrats cross over in the primaries, and they influence the outcome of those primaries."
She went on to say that this has become a major priority for GOP voters, and the GOP-controlled state House and Senate need to act on it. Multiple other states have already closed their primaries, including Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey, just to name a few.