This letter in a Pennsylvania paper illustrates how primary elections frustrate independent voters. I have seen and heard this so many times from voters that is raises several questions for me:

1. Why don’t more election officials create better signage at polling places in primary elections explaining the voting rules? I have seen this in some Utah counties, where they literally give out a piece of paper saying, “If you couldn’t vote in the closed primary and don’t like it, call the political parties or your legislator.”

2. Why don’t educators — and yes, I include myself here! — do a better job explaining primary elections in civic education courses?

3. How is it that experienced voter often fail to figure out the whole “closed primary” process after multiple elections?

http://www.mcall.com/opinion/mc-letter-fause-primary-school-board-20110528,0,7171152.story