MELANIE'S CORNER

By  LILY QI PUBLISHED: November 21, 2025 at 3:49 PM EST | UPDATED: November 21, 2025 at 4:13 PM EST In 2018, I ran for state delegate in Maryland District 15, which has the state’s highest concentration of Asian populations, most of whom are immigrants, with Chinese as the largest group. It should have been a huge cultural advantage for a Chinese immigrant like me. Yet, most of those voters were unaffiliated, making them ineligible to vote in Maryland’s closed primary electio

"Hello.  My name is Melanie Combs-Dyer.   I’m a registered “Unaffiliated” voter because I don’t agree with all the Republican positions and I don’t agree with all of the Democratic positions.   I’m also the Executive Director of Let Us Vote Maryland which advocates for open primaries in Maryland and the addition of Independents on state and local Boards of Election.  In the 1st Congressional district, where I live, there are over 123,000 registered unaffiliated voters, which

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A new lawsuit filed in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court challenges Maryland’s closed primary system, aiming to grant nearly 1 million unaffiliated voters the right to participate in primary elections. Filed on May 28, 2025, by five unaffiliated voters and backed by the Open Primaries Education Fund, the suit claims the taxpayer-funded primaries violate the state constitution by excluding independents. “This lawsuit is meant to address a situation where publ

Five politically unaffiliated Maryland voters sued the state Board of Elections this week, claiming that taxpayer funding of closed primary elections in which they can’t vote violates their constitutional rights. In Maryland, Democratic and Republican primary elections are “partially closed.” The state’s nearly 1 million unaffiliated, Green Party and Libertarian voters may only participate in major party primary elections with permission from the respective party, even though

Anne Arundel Circuit Court judge agrees that voters have standing to bring a lawsuit, but a fuller ruling is still to come Signs direct voters to a polling place at Sacred Heart Church in La Plata in this photo from the 2022 elections. (File photo by Angela Breck/Maryland Matters) By: Christine Condon An Anne Arundel County Circuit Court judge issued a partial ruling Monday in favor of a group of unaffiliated Maryland voters who are challenging the state’s closed primary elec

Maryland’s growing bloc of unaffiliated voters—almost 1 million strong, around 22% of all registered voters—has sparked a landmark...

This nonprofit works nationally to promote open, nonpartisan primaries. In partnership with Independent Voters of Maryland, it champions...

This evolving document outlines the mission and messaging of Independent Voters of Maryland. It explains the group's primary goal—open...

Analysis: The last era of one-term presidencies transitioned into an era of intense political and policy reform. Voters are also poised...

by Boyd K. Rutherford, Former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland In the leadup to the elections in November, both of the leading candidates...

By GLYNIS KAZANJIAN PUBLISHED: December 16, 2024 at 5:00 AM EST Unaffiliated, Green Party and Libertarian voters don’t get to participate...

This was a massive year for our movement. Because of supporters like you our growing movement: Placed 8 open primary referendums on the...

Maryland State Legislature Survey Press Release from Independent Voters of Maryland !