I remember a great story mom once told me about her mom – my Nana. Nana lived through the Great Depression and, like many people in the Pacific Northwest, she was a lifelong Democrat.
The state of Washington, where Nana lived, adopted open primary elections when Nana was in her eighties. My mom tells about trying to explain to Nana how open primaries work. She explained that a citizen of Washington could vote in both the Democratic AND Republican primaries.
“Now, why would I want to do that?” asked Nana.
Mom explained. “Well, what most people will do is vote for the best candidate in their party and the worst candidate in the opposite party.”
“Huh?”
“Well, vote for your favorite Democrat just like usual. But then you can also vote for a really awful Republican so that the Democrat has a better chance to win in the general election.”
“Vote for a Republican?”
“Well, yes, but just in the primary election and it will help the Democrat.”
Nana thought this over briefly, then looked her daughter in the eye and with venom said “I could NEVER vote for a Republican.”