Nebraska
100 years ago, a Nebraska Republican fought for democracy reform
“The national open primaries movement has been working for years to build this kind of critical mass. It’s a huge accomplishment,” said Jeremy Gruber, senior vice president of the nonpartisan reform group Open Primaries.
The organization’s president, John Opdycke, and former presidential candidate and Forward Party founder Andrew Yang are slated to co-host a Virtual Open Primaries Rally to support the measures that advance reform and protect it where it’s threatened.
The event is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 21, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern. Open Primaries promises attendees “will walk away with a deep appreciation for the incredible work each of these campaigns has done to give voters a powerful way to impact our political system.”
Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter
Register for the Rally!
In total, there are eight measures in 2024 that affect primary elections – and in a few cases, voting reform as well:
Alaska: The “No on 2” campaign is fighting a ballot measure that would repeal the nonpartisan top-four primary with ranked-choice voting in the general election reform voters approved in 2020.
Arizona: Proposition 140 ends taxpayer-funded partisan primaries in the state and requires state lawmakers or the secretary of state to adopt a nonpartisan system.
Colorado: Initiative 310 implements a nonpartisan top-four primary system with ranked-choice voting in the general election.
Idaho: Proposition 1 implements a nonpartisan top-four primary system with ranked-choice voting in the general election.
Montana: CI-126 implements a nonpartisan top-four primary system.
Nevada: Question 3 implements a nonpartisan top-five primary system with ranked-choice voting in the general election.
South Dakota: Amendment H implements a nonpartisan top-two primary system.
Washington, D.C.: Initiative 83 opens the city’s partisan primaries to independent voters. Registered party members would still vote in their respective party’s primary. It also implements ranked choice voting for all District elections.
“We have a real opportunity to create meaningful reform across the country this November,” Gruber said. “The success of some or hopefully all of them will mean a serious step forward in democracy reform.”
Registered independent voters outnumber members of both major parties in three of the states with reform on the ballot: Alaska, Colorado, and Nevada. Nationally, polling shows a majority of voters in the US identify as politically independent.
“I don’t think it is a coincidence that the same year Gallup found that 51 percent of Americans are now independent is the same year the largest group of ballot initiatives for open primaries is going to appear on the ballot,” Gruber said.
He added that the growth of independent voters “is forcing reform at every level of government and we are excited to help enforce and grow the movement to make sure every voter gets to vote for anyone they want in every election.”
Combined, the eight ballot measures in 2024 impact the voting rights of more than 4.5 million citizens.
In Arizona, for example, 1.26 million voters are registered unaffiliated. A nonpartisan primary system would create a primary ballot open to all voters and candidates, including independents and 300,000 Arizonans registered third party or “Other.”
Meanwhile, in Alaska, returning to a closed partisan primary system would mean cutting out over 60 percent of the registered electorate from taxpayer-funded elections.
Arizona, Colorado and Montana have partisan primary systems that allow independent voters to participate without changing their registered affiliation, but they limit choice to the candidates of a single party.
Nonpartisan primaries would allow all voters to choose any candidate they want. But it is not just that open primaries are on the ballot in 7 states and DC. Gruber emphasized the diversity in approaches to primary reform.
“Not only are there going to be eight separate ballot initiatives around open primaries for voters to vote on this November, but they comprise 5 separate forms of open primaries. It is an incredibly diverse and rich landscape of activity,” he explained.
He added that there is no “one size fits all” policy.
“Every state is coming to the issue of primary reform and the need to enfranchise the largest group of voters in the country with very different perspectives about what will work in their state and what is the right path forward for their state,” he said.
The campaigns behind each initiative are focused on getting out the vote this election and tout broad support for their proposals. However, they also face their own unique challenges from opposition primarily from the parties and special interest groups in power.
Each campaign will have a spokesperson present at the Virtual Open Primaries Rally to speak to their momentum, their support, and the barriers they’ve overcome ahead of Election Day. Attendees are encouraged to directly engage with them in a live Q&A.
“All of those leaders will be at this rally to explain how they got to where they are and their particular version of reform and why it matters in their state,” Gruber said. Open Primaries has also teased a special guest or two that will make an appearance at the event.
Along with Open Primaries and the Forward Party, the Virtual Open Primaries Rally is sponsored by Unite America, Independent Voting, Independent Voter Network, and Veterans for All Voters.
“Open Primaries has been fighting for primary reform for literally decades, long before it became a reform that people even thought was legitimate,” Gruber remarked.
“To be able to see the movement growing and expanding with new people and organizations entering it every day is incredibly gratifying, because we will have to continue to grow this movement in order to really succeed at changing democracy around the country and enfranchising every independent voter who wants to vote in the primary.”
Representatives from these organizations will also be on hand to engage in the live discussion. Voters can register for the event here, and are encouraged to invite family, friends, and colleagues to show up en masse for primary reform in 2024.
ALLIANCE, Neb. (WOWT) – Carhenge, a replica of the world-famous Stonehenge made of old cars, opened in the Nebraska Panhandle in 1987.
According to Visit Nebraska, it was constructed in Alliance by the Jim Reinders family in memory of his father during a family reunion.
Carhenge also includes sculptures made of old cars and car parts.
It is open year-round and free to visit.
MORE LOCAL HISTORY
—
On July 4, 2026, our country will celebrate its 250th birthday. Every day leading up to it, First Alert 6 will take a look at the people and events that shaped our area.
—
Get a first alert to severe weather approaching your area. Download the First Alert 6 Weather app.
Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
LINCOLN, NEB — With less than 1% of Nebraska’s native tallgrass prairie remaining, Lincoln officials say a newly acquired tract of land could help preserve a disappearing part of the state’s landscape while expanding outdoor recreation opportunities for future generations.
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and city leaders announced the purchase of nearly 100 acres southwest of Pioneers Park for $924,630 through a partnership involving the City of Lincoln, the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, and Solidago Conservancy.
The acquisition advances the Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch project, a long-term effort to establish a continuous conservation and recreation corridor stretching from Pioneers Park Nature Center in Lincoln to the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center near Denton.
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said the project will provide additional opportunities for residents and visitors to experience Nebraska’s prairie landscape while protecting natural resources.
“Advancing the Prairie Corridor, we create more opportunities for residents and visitors to hike, bike, explore nature, and experience the beautiful landscape that defines our region,” Gaylor Baird said. “We protect vital natural resources that improve water quality and help reduce flood risk downstream, and we preserve an important part of Nebraska’s natural heritage for future generations.”
The newly acquired Prairie Corridor Link property is intended to help connect Pioneers Park Nature Center and Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center through a continuous protected prairie and trail system.
Plans for the Prairie Corridor include restoring over 5,000 acres of prairie lands (~2,000 acres of tallgrass prairie, and ~3,400 acres of native prairie) and constructing a 14.5-mile multiuse trail that will connect to Lincoln’s existing trail network.
“This property is a piece of a long-term vision to connect Pioneers Park Nature Center and Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center through a continuous corridor, protected prairie, and trail,” Gaylor Baird said.
Parks and Recreation Director Maggie Stuckey-Ross said approximately over a majority of the Prairie Corridor Trail project has now been secured.
“Once complete, the corridor will include a continuous 7,400-acre passage of tallgrass prairie and a 14.5-mile multiuse trail, and in just nine years, nearly 70% of the Prairie Corridor trail corridor has been secured,” Stuckey-Ross said.
Project leaders say the Prairie Corridor has the potential to become a destination for hikers, cyclists, students, and nature enthusiasts from across Nebraska while helping preserve one of the state’s rarest ecosystems for future generations.
More information about the Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch is available at PrairieCorridor.org.
-
Los Angeles, Ca53 minutes agoKids, teens can enjoy free lunch at over 90 parks across Los Angeles
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoMetro Detroit church hosts community event to support youth: “We’re here for you”
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoSan Francisco celebrates Black freedom at weekend Juneteenth parade: ‘We’re all people’
-
Dallas, TX1 hour agoRedesign debate intensifies as Dallas convention center faces costly delays
-
Miami, FL2 hours ago‘An insane memory’: New World Cup super hero plays in Miami but not with Messi
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoFAA investigates close call between two aircraft at intersecting runways at Boston Logan International Airport | CNN
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoProposed September 2026 Service Changes
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoSeattle gets a heat wave and rain storm in the same week? – Emerald City Weather Blog
