Pennsylvania Litigation Case Page

Case Overview

Case: Independent Voters v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Court: Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court
Filed: 2025
Status: Active

In 2025, a coalition of unaffiliated voters filed a lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania’s closed primary system. Backed by Open Primaries, the case argues that primaries are taxpayer-funded elections, and no voter should be barred from participating because they don’t affiliate with a political party.

More than 1.1 million independent Pennsylvanians are currently locked out of primaries, even though their tax dollars fund the elections. This case seeks to open Pennsylvania’s primaries to all voters.

Why It Matters

• Over 1 million voters are excluded from the first round of elections.
• Primaries in Pennsylvania are often the decisive election in heavily gerrymandered districts.
• Opening primaries would force candidates to earn support beyond party insiders.