Closed primary elections are the key to protecting LIFE in Tennessee.
Image Credit: State Senator Richard Briggs / Facebook & cmh2315fl / CC
Submitted by Jennifer Hay [founder of Knoxville Nobility] –
Please take a few minutes today to contact Senator Richard Briggs (615-741-1766, sen.richard.briggs@capitol.tn.gov) to let him know that you support SB0777, a bill that would close primary elections in Tennessee. Email suggestions at end of this article. This is the most important thing you can do today to protect pre-born babies and the elderly in Tennessee.
Presently, Tennessee has “open” primary elections, meaning that voters may choose to vote in any party primary, regardless of their political affiliation. Democrats can vote in Republican primaries and vice-versa. SB0777 would close our primary elections, so that Democrat candidates would be chosen by Democrats, and Republican candidates would be chosen by Republicans.
In 2025, SB0777 fizzled in the State and Local Government Committee, chaired by Sen. Briggs, but there are reports that it has new vigor in this legislative session.
I can’t overemphasize the importance of this legislation for the pro-life cause. If Democrats continue to vote in Republican primaries, we will get squishy-on-life Republicans. Eventually, we will lose our Human Life Protection Act, and euthanasia will be on the table in Tennessee.
Imagine you are a pro-abortion Democrat who lives in a conservative voting district. You have little incentive to vote in your own Democratic primary, because you know that the Republican candidate will likely win the general election. Let’s further imagine that in the Republican primary, a strong pro-life candidate and a squishy-on-life candidate are running for the Republican nomination. As a pro-abortion Democrat, what do you do? Why, you “crossover” and vote in the Republican primary for the squishy Republican! And this is allowed, in effect, under current Tennessee law.
This is exactly what happened two years ago to pro-life stalwart John Ragan. I covered the story for Tennessee Conservative News.
For many years, John Ragan represented District 33, which includes Oak Ridge. In the last election cycle, he lost his primary bid for re-election to not-so-pro-life Rick Scarbrough, due in part to crossover voting by Democrats. Many people who voted in the 2024 Republican primary for District 33 had a prior history of voting only in Democratic primaries. The day after the election, Democrats openly celebrated coming together with Republicans to defeat Ragan.
As long as our primaries remain open, strong pro-life Republicans will have difficulty winning their primaries over squishy-on-life Republicans, because Democrats are motivated to crossover and vote for the squishy Republican. Over time, this will erode support in the Tennessee legislature for maintaining our pro-life laws.
If SB0777 becomes law, the process for registering as a Democrat or Republican will be seamless for both new and established voters. Established voters may declare their affiliation the next time they vote in a primary election. New voters can declare their party affiliation when they register.
Only changing one’s party will require some effort: “To change a voter’s party affiliation for purposes of participating in a primary election… the registered voter must notify the county election commission in writing of the change in party affiliation no later than ninety (90) days prior to the primary in which the voter wishes to participate (SB0777, p. 3).”
In response to past action calls on this legislation, some of you have objected that closing our primaries will have the effect of depriving people of the ability to vote in some important elections where they live. For example, independent voters would not be able to vote in most primaries. A Democratic voter would not be able to vote in the Republican primary when there is no viable Democratic candidate, etc. This is all true.
However, the right to vote is not absolute. It is conditional—on membership within the organization to be represented. I have no right to vote in Germany, because I am not German. Texans don’t get to vote in Tennessee elections, because they are not Tennesseans. Only active members of a club get to vote on issues that affect the club. And neither Independents nor Democrats should get to vote in Republican nominating contests, because they are not Republicans. The point of a Republican primary is for Republicans to nominate certain people to represent them in upcoming elections. Closing our primaries is a matter of election integrity in Tennessee.
I asked John Ragan what he thinks about this bill. “This is a good bill,” he told me by email. “Such would have prevented what happened to me in the last primary. Advise anyone who wants to keep crossover voters out of opposition party primaries to support it.”
Pro-life laws don’t write themselves. They require pro-life legislators to draft, amend, sponsor, and defend them. Meanwhile, the same legislators must combat bills that put the pre-born and elderly at risk. If Democrats are allowed to vote in Republican primaries, we will not have such legislators in Tennessee for much longer. We have got to close our primaries.
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Contact Sen. Richard Briggs (615-741-1766, sen.richard.briggs@capitol.tn.gov) to let him know that you support the passage of SB0777 to close primary elections in Tennessee.
Emailing is easy: Use one of the subject lines below and put your name, address, and phone number in the body of the email.
Suggested email subjects:
I support SB0777 to close TN primaries
Support SB0777-Republicans can nominate their own candidates
Support SB0777-Democrats should not vote in Republican primaries
Please support SB0777
You may also send a collective email to other members of the State and Local Government Committee who will soon vote on this bill:
Sen.Page.Walley@capitol.tn.gov, Sen.Tom.Hatcher@capitol.tn.gov, Sen.Todd.Gardenhire@capitol.tn.gov, Sen.Ed.Jackson@capitol.tn.gov, Sen.Sara.Kyle@capitol.tn.gov, Sen.Adam.Lowe@capitol.tn.gov, Sen.Kerry.Roberts@capitol.tn.gov, Sen.Jeff.Yarbro@capitol.tn.gov
