,i  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #eccd  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #ca1 #bjad ,mr4
 ,delaney introduced the following bill2
 which was referred to the ,committee on
 ,house ,administration1 and in addition
 to the ,committees on ,oversight and   
,government ,reform and the ,judiciary1 
for a period to be subsequently         
determined by the ,speaker1 in each case
 for consideration of such provisions as
 fall within the jurisdiction of the    
committee concerned  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
require all candidates for election for 
the office of ,member of the ,house of  
,representatives to run in a single open
 primary regardless of political party  
preference1 to limit the ensuing general
 election for such office to the two    
candidates receiving the greatest number
 of votes in such single open primary1  
and for other purposes4  #a4 ,short     
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,open ,our ,democracy ,act of #bjad4    
#b4 ,election of ,members of ,house of  

,representatives ,through ,open         
,primaries  7a7 ,rules for ,election of 
,house ,members ,a candidate for        
election for the office of ,member of   
the ,house of ,representatives shall be 
elected to such office pursuant to the  
following elections held by the ,state  
in which the candidate seeks election3  
7#a7 ,a single open primary election for
 such office held in accordance with    
subsection 7b74  7#b7 ,a single general 
election for such office held in        
accordance with subsection 7c74  7b7    
,open ,primaries ,each ,state shall hold
 a single open primary election for each
 office of ,member of the ,house of     
,representatives in the ,state under    
which--  7#a7 each candidate for such   
office1 regardless of the candidate's   
political party preference1 shall appear
 on a single ballot2 and  7#b7 each     
voter in the ,state who is eligible to  
vote in elections for ,federal office in
 the ,congressional district involved   
may cast a ballot in the election1      

regardless of the voter's political     
party preference4  7c7 ,general         
,election ,each ,state shall hold a     
general election for each office of     
,member of the ,house of                
,representatives in the ,state under    
which the #b candidates receiving the   
greatest number of votes in the single  
open primary election for such office   
7as described in subsection 7b771       
without regard to the political party   
preference of such candidates1 shall be 
the only candidates appearing on the    
ballot4  #c4 ,ability of candidates to  
disclose political party preferences    
7a7 ,option of ,candidates ,to ,declare 
,political ,party ,preference ,at the   
time a candidate for the office of      
,member of the ,house of                
,representatives files to run for such  
office1 the candidate shall have the    
option of declaring a political party   
preference1 and the preference chosen   
7if any7 shall accompany the candidate's
 name on the ballot for the election for

 such office4  7b7 ,designation for     
,candidates ,not ,declaring ,preference 
,if a candidate does not declare a      
political party preference under        
subsection 7a71 the designation ,no     
,party ,preference shall accompany the  
candidate's name on the ballot for the  
election for such office4  7c7 ,no      
,party ,endorsement ,implied ,the       
selection of a party preference by a    
candidate under subsection 7a7 shall not
 constitute or imply endorsement of the 
candidate by the party designated1 and  
no candidate in a general election shall
 be deemed the official candidate of any
 party by virtue of his or her selection
 in the primary4  #d4 ,protection of    
,rights of ,political ,parties ,nothing 
in this ,act shall restrict the right of
 individuals to join or organize into   
political parties or in any way restrict
 the right of private association of    
political parties4 ,nothing in this ,act
 shall restrict a party's right to      
contribute to1 endorse1 or otherwise    

support a candidate for the office of   
,member of the ,house of                
,representatives4 ,a political party may
 establish such procedures as it sees   
fit to endorse or support candidates or 
otherwise participate in all elections1 
and may informally designate candidates 
for election to such an office at a     
party convention or by whatever lawful  
mechanism the party may choose1 other   
than pursuant to a primary election held
 by a ,state4 ,a political party may    
also adopt such rules as it sees fit for
 the selection of party officials       
7including central committee members1   
presidential electors1 and party        
officers71 including rules restricting  
participation in elections for party    
officials to those who disclose a       
preference for that party at the time of
 registering to vote4  #e4 ,treatment of
 election day in same manner as legal   
public holiday for purposes of ,federal 
employment  7a7 ,in ,general ,for       
purposes of any law relating to ,federal

 employment1 the ,tuesday next after the
 first ,monday in ,november in #bjaf and
 each even-numbered year thereafter     
shall be treated in the same manner as a
 legal public holiday described in      
section #fajc of title #e1 ,united      
,states ,code4  7b7 ,sense of ,congress 
regarding treatment of day by private   
employers ,it is the sense of ,congress 
that private employers in the ,united   
,states should give their employees a   
day off on the ,tuesday next after the  
first ,monday in ,november in #bjaf and 
each even-numbered year thereafter to   
enable the employees to cast votes in   
the elections held on that day4  #f4    
,study of national standards and        
criteria for ,congressional             
redistricting  7a7 ,study ,the          
,comptroller ,general shall conduct a   
study of the feasibility and            
desirability of enacting national       
standards and criteria for              
,congressional redistricting4  7b7      
,report to ,congress ,not later than #a 

year after the date of the enactment of 
this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general    
shall submit a report to ,congress on   
the study conducted under subsection    
7a74 #g4e;,before ,january #a1 #aiii4   
#g4ge;,january #a1 #aiii1 to ,december  
#ca1 #aiii4 #g4i;,january #a1 #bjjj1 to 
,december #ca1 #bjjj4 #g4ee;,after      
,january #aa1 #bjjc4  #g4 ,member       
defined ,in this ,act1 the term ,member 
of the ,house of ,representatives       
included a ,delegate or ,resident       
,commissioner to the ,congress4  #h4    
,effective date ,except as provided in  
sections #e7;a7 and #f7;b71 this ,act   
shall apply with respect to elections   
occurring during #bjaf or any succeeding
 year4