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Open Primaries Inc
New York, NY · EIN 471494685 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE W01 · Public & Societal Benefit · Small ($100K-$1M) · openprimaries.org
revenue
$742K
expenses
$369K
net assets
$1.8M
employees
3
program ratio
70%
mission · from form 990

The mission of Open Primaries is to advocate for open and nonpartisan systems counter efforts to impose closed primaries educate voters train and support spokespeople and participate in the building of local state and national open primaries coalitions

profile · synthesized from sources

Open Primaries Inc is a national advocacy organization working to reform primary election systems by promoting open, nonpartisan primaries and expanding voter access for independent voters. The organization engages in public education, coalition-building, and policy advocacy at local, state, and national levels. It trains spokespeople, supports electoral reform campaigns, and conducts research on independent voter behavior.

named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Eyes on 2020
Grassroots and grasstops campaign to mobilize independent voters and engage election officials to open presidential primaries to unaffiliated voters
Leadership Development
Develops emerging leaders within the independent voter movement by providing organizing tools, training, and networking opportunities
Spokesperson Training Program
Trains independent voters and activists to serve as public advocates for open primary reform through media engagement and public speaking
activities · 2 groups

What they do

  • Civic Engagement and Voter Mobilization 4 activities
    • Advocacy for open and nonpartisan primary systems
      Leads national, state, and local campaigns to enact, protect, and expand open primary elections through direct advocacy, voter mobilization, legislative engagement, and ballot referendum efforts. Counters legislation aimed at closing primaries and promotes inclusion of independent voters in taxpayer-funded elections.
    • Capacity building for independent voter advocates
      Trains and supports independent voters, activists, and spokespeople in public communication, storytelling, and campaign leadership. Offers virtual training programs and builds national networks to strengthen grassroots advocacy for primary reform.
    • Legal advocacy and litigation to challenge closed primaries
      Builds and supports litigation strategies to challenge closed primary systems in federal and state courts, including filing complaints, amicus briefs, and constitutional challenges in states such as Maryland, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Wyoming, and Florida. Partners with attorneys and legal firms nationwide to advance these cases.
    • Research and publication on primary reform and independent voters
      Conducts and supports research on electoral reform, including co-authoring analyses of independent voting patterns. Produces and disseminates research publications to inform public understanding and policy debates.
  • Nonprofit Investigative & Community Journalism 1 activity
    • Public education and awareness campaigns
      Produces and promotes public-facing content including personal narratives, letters to the editor, editorials, and virtual discussion events featuring political figures to raise awareness about independent voters and the benefits of open primaries.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$742K
Contributions & grants$712K96%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$30K4%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$369K
Program expenses70%
Admin / overhead16%
Fundraising14%
Salaries & benefits$182K
Grants paid out$8K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$1.86M
Cash$1.12M
Investments$0
Liabilities$58K
Net assets$1.80M
Liquid reserves36.5 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -29.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 2
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
JOHN OPDYCKE President 10 $274K
JEREMY GRUBER Senior Vice President 10 $225K
board members · 3
  • JESSIE FIELDS — Treasurer
  • MICHAEL PICKERING — Director
  • RICHARD SOKOLOW — Director
relationships · 45

Who they work with

  • Alaskans for Better Elections Partner — State-level partner organization in the open primaries movement.
  • All Oregon Votes Partner — Partner organization building a campaign for a 2026 ballot initiative to open primaries in Oregon.
  • All Voters Vote Partner — State-level partner organization in the open primaries movement.
  • Arizona State University’s Center for An Independent and Sustainable Democracy Partner — Collaborated on the publication of research analyzing the independent vote in 2024.
  • Ballot PA Partner — Partner organization leading a legislative campaign to allow independent voters in Pennsylvania to participate in primary elections.
  • Bridge Alliance Partner — National partner organization in the open primaries movement.
  • Chronicle of Philanthropy Network — Recognized Open Primaries President John Opdycke as one of 17 nonprofit leaders seeking to change how Americans vote.
  • Common Ground AR Partner — State-level partner organization in the open primaries movement.
  • David Sirota Partner — Featured speaker in the Primary Buzz Discussion Series
  • Democracy Found Partner — Partner organization pursuing legislation to implement Final Five Voting in Wisconsin.
  • Democratic Party Government — Engages with the Democratic Party leadership in advocacy for open primary access.
  • Democratic Party Partner — Target of advocacy through delivery of the Declaration of Independents.
  • Electoral Innovation Lab Partner — National partner organization in the open primaries movement.
  • Florida Fair and Open Primaries Partner — State-level partner organization in the open primaries movement.
  • Florida Open Primaries Partner — Coalition partner running a campaign to build awareness and support for open primaries in Florida.
  • Florida Open Primaries Partner — State-level partner organization in the open primaries movement.
  • Forward Party Partner — National partner organization in the open primaries movement.
  • Georgia NAACP Partner — State-level partner organization in the open primaries movement.
  • Gwen Mandell Partner — Director of Leadership Development at Open Primaries Inc, leading the Spokesperson Training Program.
  • Idahoans for Open Primaries Partner — State-level partner organization in the open primaries movement.
  • Independent Voter Project Partner — State-level partner organization in the open primaries movement.
  • IndependentVoting.org Partner — National partner organization in the open primaries movement.
  • League of Women Voters Alabama Partner — State-level partner organization in the open primaries movement.
  • More Choice San Diego Partner — State-level partner organization in the open primaries movement.
  • NYC Open Primaries Partner — Partner organization collaborating to mobilize New Yorkers to open city primaries to independent voters.
  • National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers Partner — National partner organization in the open primaries movement.
  • Open Primaries Maine Partner — Collaborated to support LD 211 legislation to open primaries to all voters in Maine
  • People4Utah Partner — Partner organization building toward a 2024 ballot measure effort to repeal closed primaries in Utah.
  • Reclaim Idaho Partner — State-level partner organization in the open primaries movement.
  • Republican Party Government — Engages with the Republican Party leadership in advocacy for open primary access.
+ 15 more
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Civil Rights and Voting Rights Framing
    methodology: voting rights framing
    By framing access to primary elections as a civil rights and voting rights issue, we generate public and legal support for reform because it positions exclusion from primaries as a constitutional injustice in publicly funded elections.
  • Coalition and Infrastructure Building for Systemic Reform
    methodology: multi-level coalition advocacy
    By building multi-level coalitions, hybrid organizing infrastructure, and spokesperson networks, we advance structural reform because sustained systemic change requires coordinated pressure across grassroots, media, and policy channels.
  • Movement Building Through Narrative and Storytelling
    methodology: storytelling_for_narrative_change
    By amplifying personal stories of independent voters and shifting public narrative around political independence, we build collective identity and political power because visibility of the independent bloc pressures institutions to recognize their electoral significance.
  • Open Primaries as Democratic Inclusion
    methodology: open-participation voting
    By opening taxpayer-funded primary elections to all voters regardless of party affiliation, we increase democratic participation and political equality because exclusion of independents from public elections violates fundamental voting rights and undermines legitimacy.
  • Strategic Litigation for Constitutional Reform
    methodology: strategic litigation
    By using litigation grounded in constitutional arguments, we challenge closed primaries because court-based strategies can dismantle structural barriers to participation and set binding precedents for open elections.