lynn mcrae

Good morning, I support NH's Citizens Assembly's HB 714 and I hope you do, too. The fact that this legislation is being forwarded by a diverse, bipartisan group, after much study and consideration, is something positive in itself! NH (and beyond) needs more bipartisan agreements on almost everything, but voting rights in particular. HB 714 is especially significant as it represents the first piece of legislation to emerge directly from the work of our state's first Citizens Assembly. I support having all primary candidates appearing on one single ballot, and any registered voter could vote for any candidate, regardless of party affiliation. As I understand it, the top two vote receiving candidates would then advance to the general election. This system would give voters more choice while ensuring winners have broad support from the electorate.It would also save Keepers of the Checklists, ballot clerks, and voters themselves, from having to switch back and forth from independent, to whichever party ballot they need in order to vote in a primary. As a ballot clerk, myself, I can tell you it causes a lot of confusion and wasted time during the voting process. If, after studying various election systems, this diverse, bipartisan group of NH citizens who participated in the Assembly concluded that an open primary system would best serve New Hampshire by reducing polarization and giving voters more meaningful choices, then I am in support of their work and conclusions. Please support HB 714. Thank you, Lynn McRae Lyme