'Polarizing' way of picking party nominees targeted in ballot questions in these 6 states

Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, South Dakota, Montana and Nevada qualified for an open primary initiative for the 2024 ballot, Unite America - a philanthropic venture fund - found. Other states across the country already have an open primary system, including Alaska, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Virginia, among others.

Nick Troiano, executive director of Unite America, told Fox News Digital that an open primary system "would literally enfranchise millions of Americans closed out, and that includes independents."

By contrast, a closed primary system requires voters to be registered with a specific party to vote in that party's primary. This approach ensures that only party members can influence the selection of their candidates, often leading to more ideologically consistent nominees but potentially excluding independent voters from the process.

"So this gives voters a lot more freedom to vote for whom they want, you know, regardless of party. And that's the belief at the end of the day is that our election system should serve voters, not parties as private organizations," Troiano told Fox News Digital.

Another advocate of the open primary system is former Colorado Congressman Ken Buck. Buck, who retired as a representative earlier this year to work behind-the-scenes on election reform projects, said that many American voters are currently frustrated with their presidential choices. 

Buck believes that these changes could lead to higher-quality candidates, as current primary systems often allow candidates to win with a small percentage of the vote-sometimes as low as 38%-due to a crowded field. He suggested that such candidates often lack broad support among voters and may prioritize social media appeal over addressing the pressing issues facing constituents. 

Buck and Troiano said so far, typically the party that is most in control of the state are opposed to the ballot measure.