Lucia Simonelli Statement on Voting Rights and Primaries
- Apr 29
- 2 min read
Bucks County, PA – April 29, 2026
Congressional Candidate Lucia Simonelli released the following statement regarding open vs. closed primaries and protecting voting rights:
On Monday evening during the League of Women Voters Candidate Forum, the following question was asked: “Do you support open primaries?”
My opponent Bob Harvie responded “No, I don’t.” He further explained:
“I feel if you want a say in what that party is doing and who its leaders are, you should join the party.”
I strongly disagree with Commissioner Harvie. Pennsylvania is one of only eight states with fully closed primaries that excludes anyone not registered as a member of one of the two dominant parties. Preventing Independent voters from participating in our primaries prevents over one million Pennsylvanians from voting, most of whom contribute to our elections with their state taxes. Additionally, primaries are often where many elections are decided due to partisan gerrymandering, leaving Independents few desirable choices in the general election. Commissioner Harvie’s stance on a real democratic primary process is tone-deaf given that the Democratic Party is losing registered voters in record numbers.
Yesterday our current Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick took the opportunity to attack Commissioner Harvie for his answer while trying to present himself as a non-partisan independent. He even mentioned me by name and claimed to agree with my position. This is blatant hypocrisy which must be called out in the strongest terms.
Rep Fitzpatrick voted for the SAVE Act, which purposefully creates obstacles to voting for millions of Americans under the guise of election integrity. The cynical objective of this bill is to combat statistically microscopic occurrences of voter fraud by requiring burdensome proof of citizenship. Out of over 100 million votes cast in Pennsylvania over three decades, reported election fraud occurred at a rate of 0.0000388%, making this “cure” far worse than the disease.
The actual goal is obvious:
Make voting more difficult for people who would vote against Rep Fitzpatrick and the GOP - disproportionately women who have taken their spouses’ names, LGBTQ+ individuals, and folks who do not have the resources to obtain a new copy of their birth certificate.
Instead of trying to score cheap political points, our Congressman should be focused on families in our district who are struggling to afford basic necessities, the impact of data centers on our communities, and ending this unconscionable war with Iran.
We remain committed to fighting for a government that delivers for working people and fights for the rights of all voters, not one that lobs disingenuous attacks that attempt to distract from Rep. Fitzpatrick’s own blind loyalty to party politics.
Lucia Simonelli is running for office in the PA - 01 Congressional District to put everyday people ahead of corporate influences and party establishments. She can be reached for comment at comms@luciaforcongress.com.
