Let's Talk New Mexico 5/31 8a: New Mexico has a closed primary system, so if you aren’t registered with a major political party, you can’t vote in primary elections. That means about 24 percent of registered voters here are sitting out Tuesday’s primary. Is this a necessary part of the political process, having party members select their nominees? Or does a closed primary system exclude too many voters? We’d like to hear from you! Email LetsTalk@KUNM.org, tweet #LetsTalkNM or call in live during the show.
Guests:
- Lonna Atkeson, UNM political science professor, Director for the Center for the Study of Voting, Elections, and Democracy
- Laurie Weahkee, executive director, Native American Voters Alliance
- Frank Ruvolo, chairman emeritus, Republican Party of Bernalillo County
- Bill Peifer, chair, Democratic Party of Bernalillo County
- Nathan Siegel, recent UNM graduate, has registered over 500 voters