In a move that surprises absolutely no one who has spent more than five minutes in this state, the Republican Party of Texas—backed by our ever-litigious Attorney General Ken Paxton—is suing to ensure their primary is as exclusive as a country club gala but with more paperwork. They’ve decided that “freedom” means forcing you to pinky-promise your soul to the party months in advance just to get a ballot. Because nothing says “First Amendment rights” like a bureaucratic barrier to entry.
Currently, Texas has open primaries, a system where you can actually decide which dumpster fire you want to vote in on the day of the election. But the state GOP is arguing that letting just anyone (read: voters) participate in their process violates their right to association. They’re so terrified of a few “crossover” voters that they’re willing to burn the whole tent down to keep the guest list pure.
Even state Representative Carl Tepper—usually a reliable soldier for the cause—is looking at this and wondering if the party has finally inhaled too much West Texas dust. Tepper points out the obvious: people barely show up to primaries as it is. If you force Lubbockites to register as Republicans weeks before they’ve even finished their first cup of J&B Coffee, they’re just going to stay home or, God forbid, wander into the Democratic primary because it’s “open and operating.”
So, while the Secretary of State tries to get this lawsuit tossed, the party leadership is staying silent, probably busy drafting the next law that makes voting slightly more difficult than performing self-surgery. They’re effectively telling the public, “We want your vote, we just don’t want it to be convenient for you to give it to us.”
Nothing screams “confidence in your platform” quite like being terrified that a handful of Democrats might accidentally make your candidates more likable.
https://www.everythinglubbock.com/news/latest/texas-republicans-looking-to-close-primaries-for-2028/