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Many of the youngest registered voters dont identify with a political party, and in states with closed primaries, that means they dont get to decide on candidates until the last stage of the voting process.
On Monday, students from 16 colleges and universities across Pennsylvania called for an end to closed primary elections, arguing that the prohibition prevents millions of independent and unaffiliated voters from participating in the democratic process.
Pennsylvania is one of seven states to bar independent voters from participating in primary elections.
More than a million Pennsylvanians are being denied the political rights they are entitled to, Josh Summers, a student at the University of Pittsburgh, said.
Research from the Institute for Citizens and Scholars shows that 61% of 18-24-year-olds do not identify with either major political party. This, coupled with Pennsylvanias closed primary system, leaves young adults who more closely identify as independent or no affiliation to be excluded from the democratic process, the students said.
When ordinary people are shut out of the right to vote and we tolerate that, we pave the way for less sensible government and...