The political parties play such a key role in keeping this game together, which makes me hesitant to weaken them so much. I will certainly be watching this debate unfold, however.
The parties wouldn't be significantly weakened the way you're thinking of it. By all measures, they still freely exist, they field their candidates, they rally their troops, and candidates would still be affiliated with the party of their choosing as a citizen and in office. I don't see it as essential to recognize the party differences on the ballot, however, because if we assume that the people motivated enough to vote have a good idea of where their choices stand on the issues, then what is the justification for labeling by party outright given everything else I just stated?
I'd also like to make a point to those who sympathize with regional rights that this standard would only apply to federal elections. The regions would still be as free as ever to decide whether or not they acknowledge parties. Currently, the Mideast does not for Assembly elections as one example, although the Northeast does.
