END THE PARTIES. OPEN THE PRIMARIES.
Pennsylvania politics has become less about solving problems and more about keeping people divided, angry, and trapped inside team colors.
A few weeks ago, I sat on the sidelines during the Pennsylvania primaries because I am an independent voter.
No vote.
No say.
No participation.
Just shut out.
And honestly? The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous the entire system started to feel.
Here is where I have landed.
We need to eliminate the parties.
Not opinions.
Not beliefs.
Not debate.
Parties.
You should walk into a voting booth and vote for the person you believe is best. Period.
Democrat.
Republican.
Independent.
Whatever.
Do your homework.
Research candidates.
Pay attention.
Think critically.
The ballot should not need to hold your hand and tell you what team somebody belongs to like politics is some kind of youth football league.
Matter of fact, maybe forcing people to actually learn something before they vote would not be the worst thing in the world.
And primaries should be fully open across the board.
One vote for governor.
One vote for lieutenant governor.
One vote for every office.
Simple.
The same way we vote in the fall.
Clean.
Direct.
Easy.
No games.
No gatekeeping.
No “you picked the wrong party registration six years ago so now sit quietly while everybody else decides.”
And school board races?
Absolutely no party affiliation.
None.
School boards should not feel like mini Congress battles fought at elementary schools while parents are just trying to figure out math scores, transportation problems, and whether their kid feels safe walking into class.
The deeper issue here is division.
I am exhausted hearing:
“The election was rigged.”
“The election was stolen.”
“The machines.”
“The conspiracy.”
“The deep state.”
“The fix was in.”
Cut the bullshit.
Seriously.
Cut the bullshit.
Because somehow every election is supposedly rigged, yet the people screaming the loudest still somehow keep winning offices.
So let me get this straight:
the system was rigged against you…
but you won anyway?
Then what are we even talking about anymore?
At some point, this constant outrage cycle stops being about protecting democracy and starts becoming a business model built on anger, clicks, donations, and keeping Americans divided against each other.
Meanwhile, regular people are trying to survive.
Parents are trying to educate kids.
Families are trying to pay bills.
Communities are trying to stay afloat.
Schools are trying to survive budget fights.
Teachers are burning out.
Programs are disappearing.
Those are real problems.
But instead, we keep getting dragged into endless political theater where everybody is screaming and nobody is solving anything.
I am an independent because I am tired of being told I have to pick a tribe before I am allowed to think.
Pennsylvania can do better than this.
America can do better than this.
And maybe it starts with something simple:
open the primaries, remove the labels, and make people vote based on knowledge instead of party branding.