Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
TESTIMONY
Testimony by Alice Rydel, Member of the Public, advocating for open primaries
0:40:49
·
3 min
Alice Rydel, a registered independent voter for decades, testifies in support of open primaries. She believes public advocates often lose track of their purpose by focusing on party politics rather than listening to all voters, and open primaries are a step towards rectifying this.
Rydel shares an anecdote about an independent voter who was turned away and humiliated at a primary, emphasizing that this shouldn't happen. She urges the commission to put open primaries on the ballot, noting it has been twenty years since the issue was last before a Charter Revision Commission and that New York's diversified, progressive nature calls for a less controlled voting process.
Alice Rydel
0:40:49
I'm Alice Rydell, and I've been a registered independent voter in New York City for decades.
0:41:01
I grew up in Chicago, and I knew of the the daily machine before I was old enough to vote.
0:41:09
So I always had a sense that ordinary people didn't have much of a say in how things were run.
0:41:18
I I do think I I hope when people aspire to be public advocates, that's exactly what they want to do, to be advocates for the public.
0:41:33
And, unfortunately, they often get caught up in focusing on a smaller group of party influencers, fundraising, party politics, their own careers, and they lose track of what their purpose is.
0:41:51
Because it's not about controlling voting.
0:41:55
It's about listening to all the voters, and open primaries is a good step in that direction.
0:42:02
You know, I I made a note of this.
0:42:04
I volunteered to make calls for independent voters to testify before this commission.
0:42:10
And one person I spoke with told me that when she went to a primary to vote, she was an independent.
0:42:18
She was turned away.
0:42:19
She didn't know this, and she was humiliated.
0:42:23
So that that just shouldn't happen.
0:42:29
It's also it's been twenty years.
0:42:31
I think someone more official was talking about this before since the possibility of open primaries was brought before Chartered Revision Commission.
0:42:41
And I think it got caught up in should it be the top two, the top three, should it be semi?
0:42:49
Whatever it is, it needs to be open primaries.
0:42:56
They got bogged down, and it it's been twenty years.
0:43:00
So New York is just such a diversified, progressive city, and I love it very much.
0:43:09
And I think it's time to break out of how controlled and conservative our voting process is because it's having an impact.
0:43:20
Our public advocates, politicians, and the news media can get so focused on particulars, they can't grasp the larger picture.
0:43:30
You know the phrase, you can't see the forest for the trees.
0:43:33
Right?
0:43:34
So we're the forest, the 1,000,000 independent voters.
0:43:40
And, please, I open up the primaries.
0:43:45
Please put that before us.
0:43:47
I know you're not making the final decisions, but you can put it on the ballot.
0:43:52
Thank you.
Sharon Greenberger
0:43:52
Thank you.