Another potential change to how we vote is in the works.
Diane Trautman
Harris County primary voters could see a big change at the polls in 2020 if local party leaders agree on a new proposal.
Under the current system, voters go to the polls and they’re asked to say which party primary they want to participate in, Republican or Democratic. Voters line up separately. But Harris County Clerk Diane Trautman said Tuesday that combining the lines would be more cost-effective and give voters more privacy.
“You won’t see a Republican party here, Democratic party here. You’ll see one of each at each table, and you’ll have three lines that you could go in,” Trautman said.
Voters would check in at joint primary tables and select one party on an iPad.
“The other thing they’re going to notice is that there aren’t any lines outside the door,” Trautman said. “So that will be refreshing.”
She said the new plan addresses the biggest complaints she hears from voters.
Harris County officials hope to reach an agreement with party leaders by the end of the month. If approved, the new system would be in place for the next primary in March 2020.
The HCDP has agreed to this. The Republicans, not so much.
Harris County Republican Party Chairman Paul Simpson said Texas law allows parties to run their own primary elections, and he is reluctant to cede that role to the county clerk.
“The Democrat county clerk’s proposed joint primary elections would empower the bureaucrats and, worse, let one party’s workers run the other party’s primary election that selects its candidates, running the risk of disenfranchising, inconveniencing, and confusing voters,” Simpson said in a statement.
I actually have some sympathy for Simpson’s position. I have no doubt that if Stan Stanart had proposed this, I’d be suspicious, even with the knowledge that Harris is the only major county in the state that doesn’t hold joint primaries. I’d need to be convinced as a Democratic primary voter, and I’m sure Paul Simpson believes his voters will need to be convinced, too. (He’s on the ballot in 2020 as well, you know.) That said, I hope he goes into the discussion with an open mind. This makes sense on a couple of levels. One, you don’t have to announce your preference in front of strangers, which is the privacy appeal. Sure, anyone with VAN access can look up your record, but how many people do that? It’s also a more efficient use of resources, which should help shorten lines. Again, if there are questions or concerns, then let’s ask the party chairs in the other counties that do it this way, and see what they have to say about it. I’m happy to let Paul Simpson voice his worries, but let’s not be ruled by fear.
While it would be nice if both parties could use the same polling sites to reduce voter confusion, I am doubtful about this idea. I recall the massive turnout in the Obama-Clinton fight in 2008, and my Republican voters got in and out quickly, while the Democrat line took hours and stretched blocks. Part of the rationale seems to be reluctance by voters to publicly announce the party in whose primary they wish to vote. This seems silly to me. If you care enough to vote in a primary, you probably proudly affiliate with that party, and your participation in a primary will be public knowledge and record once you do so anyway.