Shawn Griffiths
GLEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. — A new statewide poll finds near-unanimous agreement among both Democratic and independent voters that Florida’s primaries should be opened to the state’s 3.4 million “No Party Affiliation” (NPA) voters who are currently shut out of taxpayer-funded elections.
The survey, commissioned by Florida Open Primaries in partnership with the national reform group Open Primaries and its Let Us Vote campaign, asked 684 NPA voters and 626 Democrats about their views on the state’s closed primary system and the ongoing debate inside the Florida Democratic Party over whether to unilaterally open its primaries.
Key Findings
- 96% of NPAs and 93% of Democrats support opening all Florida primary elections to NPA voters.
- 80% of NPAs and 87% of Democrats support the Florida Democratic Party independently opening its own primaries.
- 87% of NPAs and 83% of Democrats back broader Democratic Party efforts to champion primary reform — including legislation and acknowledgment of past opposition that excluded independents.
Check out the full results here.
“These poll results confirm that NPAs voting in the Florida Democratic primary would be a win-win for both NPAs and the Democratic Party,” said John Marvin, an independent voter and spokesperson for Florida Open Primaries.
The 3.4 million Florida NPAs would finally have a say in some of the most consequential elections — elections paid for by their hard-earned tax dollars. The Democratic Party, in turn, would have millions of additional voters informed and engaged with Democratic candidates.”
Cathy Stewart, National Organizing Director for Open Primaries, framed the debate as part of a larger movement:
Florida is one of only 14 states that bar independent voters from participating in primaries — that means 3.4 million taxpayers are denied the right to vote in elections they fund. As the polling results demonstrate, NPA voters and Democratic Party voters agree that the time has come for the Florida Democratic Party to act.”
A Troubled Party Looks to Independents to Save It
The Democratic Party in Florida is struggling for relevance. The once contentious battleground state has leaned heavily toward the GOP in recent cycles as Republicans outnumber Democrats in registration by more than a million voters.
However, party leaders are starting to understand how powerful the independent vote can be as NPAs make up approximately a third (or roughly 3.4 million) of the registered voting population. In fact, NPA registration rose nearly 10 points from 2014 to 2025.
Yet, these voters are denied access to critical taxpayer-funded primary elections under the state's closed primary system.
Back in February, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried signaled that a party rebrand may include reaching out to NPAs. She said Democrats “got to find a way to make sure that [independent voters] are under our umbrella as well.”
She reiterated the possibility of open primaries in another interview in May. “Those are conversations we are having,” she said.
“There are a lot of people in the middle that are typically part of our coalition – a lot more black and brown men have become independent, the younger generation have become independent. And so, we’re going to rise to this moment.”
The recent Open Primaries survey isn’t the first time Floridians have signaled a desire to open the state’s primary elections to all voters. In 2020, 57% of statewide voters said “Yes” to Amendment 3, which would have established a Top Two nonpartisan open primary system for state legislative and executive offices similar to the system in California.
The only reason it is not law today is because prior to the 2020 election, state lawmakers raised the vote threshold needed to pass constitutional amendments to 60%.
“Closed primaries are unfair to independent voters who comprise about one-third of Florida voters. They pay for primary elections but can’t vote,” said Lenny Guckenheimer, a long-time Florida Democrat.
The Democratic Party should open its primaries so that all voters can have a voice in choosing their elected leaders. Democrats and independents are aligned — an open primary will make the party stronger.”
The latest survey also comes as retired attorney Michael J. Polelle has brought a challenge to the state’s closed primary system to the steps of the Supreme Court. And for the first time, the justices will consider hearing such a challenge.