Last week the Charter Revision Commission (CRC) decided not to refer an open primaries measure to the November ballot when they finalize the questions today. Richard Buery, the commission chair, said he was “personally disappointed” and hoped the issue might be revisited in the future.
While I too am disappointed that voters will not have the opportunity to decide whether NYC adopts an open system — already in place in 85% of U.S. cities — the CRC should be applauded for their serious work.
Hundreds of the 1.1 million independent voters in NYC currently barred from voting testified at public hearings, and the commission took them seriously. They challenged opponents to provide evidence for their false claims that letting 1.1 million voters — 54% of whom are people of color — participate would dilute the power of minority New Yorkers.
But the New York Democratic Party establishment made it clear that they would kill an open primaries measure should it be put on the ballot. The commission did not want to jeopardize their work on affordable housing, so they understandably backed off.
I have two observations about this process.
First, the Democratic Party ain’t. They have a serious democracy problem. The media is focused on the fight between moderates and progressives as the party seeks to recover from their 2024 shellacking. But what doesn’t get talked about enough is that both wings of the party are anti-democratic.
It was the progressives who killed open primaries in New York City. It was the moderates who cancelled the 2024 presidential primary and shielded Joe Biden from the public. Both wings of the Democratic Party are united in their belief that they know best, independent voters should be excluded and/or ignored, and all that matters is gaining power. Just watch Brad Lander, a beacon of progressivism in New York, passionately defend a status quo that marginalizes 1.1 million voters.
The Democratic Party doesn’t think that people notice how elitist they are. But people have figured out that their claims to be the party of democracy are hollow and hypocritical. Until they change their tune (and one way to do that is to start respecting independent voters), they are going to have a hard time rebuilding trust with voters across the country.
My second observation is about what comes next in New York. “I hope civic leaders will build on the progress that we have made this year, develop greater consensus and advance a proposal to voters prior to the next citywide election,” Buery said regarding the CRC’s decision. I hope so too. But I’m not holding my breath. I think the “civic leaders” Buery is referring to don’t care that 1.1 million independents are locked out.
Susan Lerner of Common Cause New York spoke on behalf of the good government community when she insisted that “more time was needed” to study and come up with an effective policy. Here is what is corrupt about that posture. Independent voters have been shut out for decades. The numbers go up every year.
Common Cause even issued their own report about the surging numbers of independents in New York two years ago! The establishment has had decades to advance a conversation and study the issue. 85% of U.S. cities have figured out how to let all voters vote. But the democracy crowd in NYC has done nothing except bring rank choice voting into a closed party primary system, the only place in the entire country that has been done.
It took hundreds of ordinary independent voters showing up to testify to put the issue of primary reform on the agenda. If they hadn’t spoken up, there would have been complete silence from the good government world, except the Citizens Union, an organization with guts and integrity.
They’ve been given “more time.” Will Democratic Party bosses, civic leaders and organizations prioritize including independents in the process? I doubt it. Independents are outsiders. We’re not part of the club. We simply don’t matter to the liberal enlightened good government crowd who think they know best.
The independent voter movement is growing. Every day, 10,000 Americans switch from D or R to independent. And we are getting organized. The clock is ticking.
Opdycke is the founder and president of Open Primaries, a national advocacy organization working to enact and protect open and nonpartisan primaries.
