There are 1.3 million voters in Pennsylvania who aren't affiliated with either of the two major parties and who can't vote in primaries for key positions like governor and U.S. senator as a result.

That's because Pennsylvania is one of only nine states with a closed primary system that allows only registered Democrats and Republicans to cast ballots in the spring races that determine who runs in November.

But Spotlight PA reports there's an effort underway to change that. Ballot PA — a coalition of civic and community organizations including Common Cause PA, the League of Women Voters, and the Committee of Seventy — has launched a campaign to open up Pennsylvania's primaries.

Local primaries are especially important in areas where voters heavily favor one party, because they essentially decide the final outcome. 

David Thornburgh, executive director of Ballot PA and the former head of the Committee of Seventy, likened it to "taxation without representation."

THE CONTEXT: Pennsylvania's primary system was enshrined in 1937 and was intended to remedy a growing issue at the time: new and short-lived political parties — also known as mushroom parties — sprouting up before elections, crowding the ballot, and confusing voters. 

Eighty-five years later, that remedy for an electoral problem has become a system that excludes a significant portion of the electorate: Nearly 1.3 million of the state's 8.7 million registered voters are unaffiliated with the two major parties, a number that rose by nearly 10% between 2016 and 2020 — outpacing gains made by Democrats and Republicans. 

There is a bill making its way through the state Senate that would allow those voters to support a candidate in the Democratic or Republican primary. (They can only vote on ballot questions during primaries now.)

A previous version of the same bill passed the state Senate in 2019, in a 42-8 vote, but was never brought up for a vote in the state House.

Beyond enfranchising sidelined voters, an open primary system would also mitigate polarization in state politics, supporters say.

A Stanford University study found "more-extreme candidates" do better in contested primaries — those with multiple candidates — and that nearly 80% of statehouse elections in the U.S. are decided by primary voters.

MOVIN' ON: Penn State's student-run music festival, Movin' On, is back with a full in-person lineup for the first time in three years this Friday. Headliner Jack Harlow will be joined by Aminé, and Fitz and The Tantrums.

ON TAP: State Reps. Joe Ciresi (D., Montgomery) and R. Lee James (R., Venango) tap-danced inside the Capitol to drum up support for a bill that would make dance teacher certifications easier to come by. WITF's Sam Dunklau grabbed a video and said: "It's fun around here sometimes."

POP OFF: State Rep. Matthew Dowling (R., Fayette) wants to ban anyone older than 13 from intentionally releasing a balloon into the atmosphere, part of a push to ban mass balloon releases altogether. The case for such a ban was arguably made by Cleveland almost 36 years ago.

TRASH TIL: Pennsylvania has so many landfills that its trash-per-person ratio (35.4 tons per denizen in 2016) is higher than almost every other state. TikTok-er @thebigfavorite's reaction was similar to mine.

COAT CHECK: A cold front is moving in, and that means highs in the 50s across Pennsylvania today after highs in the 80s just a few days ago. Freeze watches and frost advisories were in effect this morning.