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TESTIMONY
Testimony by Maria Danzillo from One City Rising advocating for open primaries
3:33:48
·
3 min
Maria Danzillo, Executive Director of One City Rising, testifies advocating for electoral reform, specifically implementing open primaries.
She argues that New York City's closed primaries disenfranchise a million independent voters, contribute to extremely low turnout, and result in unrepresentative leadership.
Danzillo believes open primaries, common in other large cities, would increase participation, foster more consensus-driven leaders, and give voters more reason to engage. She also suggests moving the primary date from June.
Maria Danzillo
3:33:48
Hi.
3:33:49
Good evening.
3:33:50
Thank you, commissioner.
3:33:52
Thank you, chair and members of the commission for your service, and thank you so much for staying so late tonight.
3:33:57
I'm executive director of One City Rising, a nonpartisan good government grassroots group.
3:34:03
We actually are grassroots.
3:34:04
We do not accept any money from special interest groups.
3:34:08
We are fully funded by our members.
3:34:10
We have several thousand members citywide.
3:34:12
I'm a lifelong New Yorker, an attorney, and a mother of three who raised my three children here in New York City, and I'm deeply committed to a positive future for our city so that it is a thriving place for my children and future generations.
3:34:27
One City Rising members include people from both political parties.
3:34:31
We're not a political club, as well as many independents.
3:34:34
We believe in listening to each other respectfully, and we look for common ground on what is needed to improve government in New York City.
3:34:42
Our members hold a wide range of political views, and we view a successful meeting, and we have many meetings, as where no one, actually kicks a chair or runs out of the room and threatens to quit our, group.
3:34:57
We disagree on many things, but there is one issue where our members are clear, and that is the need for electoral reform and specifically the need to franchise every voter, including the 1,000,000 independent voters in New York City through open primaries.
3:35:13
23 of the 30 largest cities in the country have open primaries.
3:35:17
It is a clear and undisputed fact that leaders are elected in the primaries, yet New York City primaries have perhaps the lowest or among the lowest voter turnouts anywhere in the whole country.
3:35:28
It is clear and glaring problem, and we appreciate that this commission has been taking a serious look at this issue and hopefully will make a recommendation to finally open our primaries.
3:35:40
We have 5,000,000 voters in New York City, and we're looking at turnout under 10%, which means the vast majority of New Yorkers are not the ones who are electing our leaders.
3:35:50
This is not representative democracy, and it is a crisis.
3:35:54
Open primaries will fix this by first franchising the million independent voters, and second, allowing every voter to participate in crucial primaries regardless of their party affiliation.
3:36:05
In cities that have open primaries, voter turnout has significantly improved because people participate when they feel they have a voice.
3:36:13
We can't continue to just ask people to register in the party that has the power in a particular district.
3:36:18
It's just not fair to them.
3:36:20
There are positions that one or the other party might take that might prevent someone in good conscience from joining that party.
3:36:27
We don't ask people to switch their religious affiliations.
3:36:29
We shouldn't ask them to switch their party affiliations.
3:36:33
We believe that open primaries will inspire and motivate people to vote in general elections where turnout in New York City is also abysmally low.
3:36:42
For example, in the twenty twenty four general election, which was a presidential year, New York City was 49 out of 50 states in low voter turnout.
3:36:51
New York voters need to be given a reason to vote, and we
Valerie White
3:36:54
can Alright, miss.
3:36:55
You said
Richard R. Buery Jr.
3:36:55
time.
Maria Danzillo
3:36:56
Yeah.
3:36:57
Sure.
3:36:57
May I please have another thirty seconds?
Richard R. Buery Jr.
3:37:00
Sure.
Maria Danzillo
3:37:01
Thank you.
3:37:02
New Yorkers need to be given a reason to vote, and we can do that by doing what every other large city has done.
3:37:08
Let me also mention that voters vote with their feet.
3:37:11
We have a city and state that is losing our tax base and the fast at the fastest rate in the country and a city with the highest tax rate and highest inflation in the country.
3:37:20
Open primaries will make it possible for every New Yorker to have a say in who is going to lead us out of this.
3:37:26
One other issue I just want to mention is that the primaries the primaries are held at the June, which is a very hard time for many families in New York City.
3:37:35
And, we would also respectfully ask the commission to consider moving the primary date to either before Memorial Day or after, Labor Day.
3:37:43
Thank you for your time.
Richard R. Buery Jr.
3:37:44
Thank you so much.