My regular reader (Hi Jeff!) will recall that I have oft mentioned my failed run for the US Congress as a Democrat in a heavily GOP district back in 2008. It was an amazing time to be a candidate, in what turned out to be the swing state in the national election that year. I got to see some amazing things and meet some amazing people. Most importantly, I was a widower when I ran for office, and during the campaign my staff included a smart and beautiful woman who, after the campaign was over, agreed to date me. Dana and I recently celebrated our 12th anniversary, so that worked out well, even though I lost the election.

But today, I don’t want to talk with you about the big election I lost (and lost big). Rather, I want to talk with you about a few elections I won.

Back in 1972, when I was in ninth grade in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I won the election for Tappan Junior High Student Council Vice President, and I won by a wide margin – tens of votes. Later, at Pioneer High School, I won an election to determine the president of the school’s astronomy club. Years later, I won the election to be the VP of our local astronomy club here in Colorado Springs. Oh, and I won the election to be on the board of my local HOA – not to brag, but I was the top vote getter, with 11 votes for me.

So, I’m just saying, I’ve won my share of elections (Ed: really? Really?)

And in each of those electoral contests, you know who voted for or against me? Well, it was the actual members of the groups I mentioned above. The students voted for the student council and the astronomy club members voted for the astronomy club officers. Oh, homeowners in the HOA area voted for the HOA board.

Do you know why I am telling you all this? (Ed: ego?)

It is because of a Colorado Politics story that caught my eye. It seems the state GOP central committee has authorized a lawsuit that objects to non-Republicans voting in Republican primary elections. And so, I am about to say something that I don’t think I’ve said before in the hundreds of columns I’ve written here at CP:

I strongly agree with the Republicans.

You may recall that back in 2016 (seems like a thousand years ago, eh?) the good people of Colorado approved a ballot measure that allowed any registered voter to cast a ballot in any primary election, regardless of whether or not that voter was a member of the political party involved. Before this measure, if you wanted to vote in the Democratic primary, you had to be a Democrat. If you wanted to vote in the GOP, you had to be a Republican. Now, anyone can vote in any primary.

I strongly disagree, and hence my concurrence with the GOP lawsuit.

The GOP is arguing that by forcing open the party doors to any voter, the state is creating the potential for a lot of shenanigans. These so-called “open” primaries have been the subject of concern before. The biggest concern is that in a state with an open primary system (like Colorado now) you could see situations where primary votes might cross party lines to vote for the person they feel their own party’s candidate could most easily beat. And while there are legitimate concerns about “closed” primaries, I still support them.

Even though I count myself as a strong and near-absolutist on free speech, I don’t see this as an issue involving any fundamental freedom. The political parties are private organizations (by that I mean not government created or affiliated) and it seems reasonable to me that they get to set the rules to pick their candidates.

Way back in 2020 (long ago, right?) right-wing chatterbox Rush Limbaugh urged his listeners to vote for Hillary Clinton in any open primary, as he felt she would be the easiest Democrat to beat. Other GOPers urged Republicans to vote for Bernie Sanders, in hopes that he would be the presumably weaker Democratic candidate in the general election.

I understand that closed primary systems are not without flaw. But open primaries just don’t pass what I call the “playground fairness rule.” What’s the first thing a little kid says when confronted with mischief? A loud roar of “that’s not fair!” And to me, voters of one party seeking to sabotage the electoral process of another party is, well, not fair.

There is a basic appeal to the open primary system, in that it can seem like it is, well, open and fair. Why should people get to vote for whomever they wish? In the general election, I agree, but in primaries, I do not.

If you want to vote for student council vice president, you should be a student. If you want to vote for who is on your HOA board, you should live in the HOA’s area. And if you want to vote for a Republican in a primary, you should be a Republican.

As is so often the case, there is no perfect system. But basic fairness, on the playground or in a primary, says you should not be able to mess with the other team’s picking of captains, so to speak.

It’s time to close our primaries back up.

I (shudder) agree with the Republicans on this one.

Hal Bidlack is a retired professor of political science and a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who taught more than 17 years at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.