This story was produced by the Oregon Journalism Project , a nonprofit newsroom covering the state.

Two newly filed ballot initiatives would open Oregon’s primary elections, which currently exclude voters not registered with the parties holding the nominating contests.

Election reformers have been trying to change Oregon’s primary system for nearly two decades. What’s different this time is that one of the three chief petitioners of the initiatives is an unlikely champion for change: former Gov. Ted Kulongoski, a Democrat who arguably contributed more to his party’s control of Oregon politics than anybody else.

In labor circles, Kulongoski, a lawyer who counted unions among his clients, will always be known for shepherding the Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act through the

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