Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
TESTIMONY
Testimony by Thales Protopapas, Member of the Public, on the unfairness of closed primaries for young voters
2:16:29
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66 sec
Thales Protopapas, an 18-year-old senior at Brooklyn Tech, testifies about the unfairness of New York City's closed primary system from the perspective of a new voter.
He argues that because the Democratic primary often determines the election outcome, the system effectively disenfranchises voters not registered as Democrats, who should not be forced to join a party to have their voice heard.
Protopapas advocates for open primaries to ensure fairness for all voters and create more competitive general elections.
Thales Protopapas
2:16:29
Hello.
2:16:29
My name is Daelys, and I'm a senior at Brooklyn Tech.
2:16:32
As an 18 year old who's lived in The United States my whole life, I have an appreciation for the value of democracy.
2:16:38
As I've learned more about how our process works in New York City though, I've become disappointed by the way it unfairly values certain votes over others.
2:16:46
With the current closed primary system, only registered Democrats can vote in the Democratic primary, and only registered Republicans can vote in the Republican primary.
2:16:55
However, in New York City, Republican nominees win the general election so rarely, in some cases, there is no Republican challenger at all, that the Democratic primary often decides the overall election.
2:17:07
This essentially disenfranchises any voters who are not registered as Democrats, which as you've heard many times is is something that not every voter necessarily wants to do.
2:17:19
It's not something they should be required to do in order to have their voice heard.
2:17:22
There's a to know.
2:17:23
With open primaries, voters can participate in the primary election, and a few top candidates move on to the general election.
2:17:30
This is both more fair to have all voters' voices heard, and it leads to more competitive elections in the general.