A St. Louis County representative’s bill would make Missouri the 28th state with a closed primary system.
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A St. Louis County representative’s bill would make Missouri the 28th state with a closed primary system.

Date: February 21, 2012
By: Ruohan Xu
State Capitol Bureau
Links: HB 1052 

Intro: 
More than a half dozen Missouri residents spoke in favor of a bill that would establish a closed primary election system.
RunTime:  0:49
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: The Chairman of the Jasper County Republican Central Committee, John Putnam, was one of the people who testified in favor of a bill that would establish a closed primary election system for the state.

He compared the primary election to a football game. 

Actuality:  PUTNAM.WAV
Run Time:  00:09
Description: “Say, Mizzou and KU to be playing a football game, and have the referees meet in the middle of the field and ask the J-Hawks to participant and choose the Tiger captain for the day.”

Putnam says we should let the political party choose their own party candidates, and stop messing with each other's affair.

The bill would require voters to be registered by party, but House Election committee member Republican Don Wells argued that would label people who do not want to be labeled.

No one testified in opposition during the hearing.

The committee took no action on the bill Tuesday.

Reporting from the Capitol, I'm Ruohan Xu.

Intro: 
A Missouri House committee discussed a bill that would require voters to be registered to a political party in order to vote in primary elections.
RunTime:  0:42
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: St. Louis Representative Sue Allen says her bill would minimize questionable results for primary elections in Missouri.

The bill would establish a closed primary system. It would require voters to be registered to a political party in order to vote for that party's ballot in all primary elections.

House Election committee member Republican Representative Don Wells opposed the bill.

Actuality:  WELLS.WAV
Run Time:  00:08
Description: “I don’t really see the benefit to this bill. It is just kind of labeling people who don’t want to be labeled.”

Seven witnesses spoke in favor of the bill. No one testified in opposition during the hearing.

The committee did not take immediate action on the bill.

Reporting from the Capitol, I'm Ruohan Xu.