Stop me if you've heard this before. Just kidding, you can't stop me.
Another year, another Kentucky governor's primary done. We managed to get a higher percentage of voters out than the last gubernatorial primary, but less than last year's turnout for county judges and congressional seats.
Reports indicate 19.6% of voters turned out Tuesday, higher than predicted but still less than one in five eligible Kentuckians choosing the candidates for November's general election. 23.9% turned out for last year's primary.
Only 12.9% of registered Kentucky voters showed up for the primary in 2015. 17% of registered Republicans and around 12% of Democrats. This year about 18% of R's and 23% of Ds.
In a primary where the sitting governor only receives 52% of his party's votes, an 11% gain in vote on the D side might be a good sign for those who are sick and tired of the carpetbagger from New Hampshire.
Still these turnouts are ridiculously light and another testament to opening the primaries so we all can vote. Only 9 states have closed primaries like ours. Nearly 9 percent of Kentucky voters are locked out because they aren't registered to one of the two majors.
Nationally, around 30% of registered voters aren't tied to a party in states that list party registration. 19 states do not register parties at all. Without a doubt, if Kentucky had open primaries, that 9% number would grow.
I conducted a casual poll Tuesday on Facebook regarding our state's system. Let me first say nothing on Facebook is true. If that is your primary source of information, you may be more informed than the average Fox viewer, but you still shouldn't vote or operate heavy machinery.
But you can discern a few things based on people's reactions to posts and I gave folks a couple of things to think about.
My first was a post exhorting people to get out and vote. It was non-partisan, no red or blue haze to it. I posted it in the early afternoon and as of this writing it has received 60 reactions, 15 comments and 3 shares.
The second post was made in the evening and was focused on Kentucky's closed primary system as an undemocratic weapon for maintaining party control. As of now it has 73 reactions, 26 comments and 2 shares.
Based on reactions and comments, 25% more folks want Kentucky to open primaries than just want people to vote. A little research on the folks responding showed not only "loony lefties" like me believe we should change our primary system. The folks in agreement (all but one), were across the political spectrum.
I'll point out here, once again, that the U.S. Constitution contains no language giving political parties a role in our electoral processes. The Father of our Country warned against political parties as if he had a crystal ball with Mitch McConnell's face in it.
Party over country is no way to make a country great. I'd vote for an amendment that forces the parties to pay for elections in closed primary states.
Why should the general public finance a vote when you have to belong a club to get to vote? Facebook...and the voters...have spoken!