Let Everyone Into the Game: How All-Candidate Primaries Would Solve The Primary Problem

Primary election season is well underway, with 29 states having held primaries. But due to the nature of safe congressional seats, more than half of Congress has been elected by around 6% of eligible voters. Before the November general election, around 90% of Congress will be elected in party primaries this year, meaning that the voters who participate in those contests had an oversized role in determining the makeup of Congress. 

That reality raises a basic question for anyone concerned with representation, governance, and democratic accountability: if the most consequential election happens before many voters are paying attention, who is our government actually designed to represent?

This question is especially important at a time when public trust in governing institutions remains low and a majority of Americans say few or none of the nation’s elected officials understand the needs of ordinary people. The causes of this dysfunction are complex, but one structural factor deserves more attention: the rules that determine who participates and advances in the elections that matter most.

Meeting this moment requires more than frustration with political outcomes. It requires examining the systems that produce them. If primary elections are where most congressional outcomes are determined, then primary elections are a logical place to focus people’s attention. But most people don’t wake up every day thinking about the structure of their state’s elections. 

So how do we raise awareness on this issue, and the potential structural solutions? 

Many people will not first encounter these questions in a white paper, policy memo, or academic panel. With 91% of U.S. adults owning a smartphone and more than 75% spending up to two hours a day watching short-form digital video, it’s more important than ever to consider messaging through short-form video content.

That is the purpose of our new explainer video on open, all-candidate primaries.

This video was developed as part of a fellowship for the Democracy and Public Service Initiative, a partnership between the National Academy of Public Administration and the Bridge Alliance. The initiative is designed to strengthen American democracy and public service by connecting institutional expertise, civic networks, and practical reform ideas. The structural reform pillar is focused on helping translate research on electoral systems into accessible, nonpartisan public education.

The video introduces a solution to the current Primary Problem through a simple analogy: imagine if watching the Super Bowl was conditional upon being a fan of one the two teams competing in the big game (and declaring that fandom before the season began!) In many elections, something similar happens when a small and often unrepresentative group of primary voters — let's call them Republican or Democrat super fans — lock in their preferred candidates before the general election. They get to participate in the big game — the real election that matters — but no one else can.

Open, all-candidate primaries offer one possible solution. Under this model, everybody gets to participate in the "big game." Every voter receives the same ballot, and all candidates appear together, regardless of party. Rather than organizing participation around party (or team!) loyalty, the system allows voters to consider the full field of candidates from the start. The goal is not to advantage one party or ideology, but to broaden participation, increase competition, and encourage candidates to build support across a wider electorate. Are you somehow still a Browns fan? Don't worry, you can still watch this Super Bowl. Everyone gets to watch who gets the trophy, not just die-hard fans of the two teams on the field.

This launch is the first piece of a broader primary-season project. In the months ahead, we will continue publishing content that explains the Primary Problem, tracks developments during the 2026 election cycle, and shares updates and analysis on our website.

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