The push to close primaries may be dead in the Tennessee General Assembly this year, but many legislators are sure there is life after death.
The last remaining bill in the legislature this year that would have required party registration in the state died in a subcommittee of the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee on Monday when the measure received a tie vote. One additional “aye” vote would have sent it to the full committee.
The companion bill in the Senate passed out of its equivalent committee along party lines Monday, sending it to be scheduled for a floor vote. But the House vote basically ended consideration of the measure for the year.
Over the past decade, the annual push to move the state from open primaries to closed — where voters can cast a ballot only in the primary of the party in which they’re registered — has never advanced.
(READ MORE: Free Press Opinion: The real cost of closing Tennessee primaries)