Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
TESTIMONY
Testimony by Melissa Fisher, Member of the Public, advocating for open primaries to ensure all voices are heard
1:10:40
·
3 min
Melissa Fisher, a retired nonprofit director and an independent for most of her voting life, testifies in support of open primaries. She recounts reluctantly registering as a Democrat for a recent mayoral election due to the closed primary system, arguing she shouldn't have to join a party to exercise her constitutional right to vote.
Fisher emphasizes that New York's diversity should be reflected in its elections and that too many voices are silenced before the general election. She believes open primaries will ensure every voter, regardless of party affiliation, can participate in shaping the government, leading to greater political engagement and more representative elected officials.
Melissa Fisher
1:10:40
Hi.
1:10:41
My name is Melissa Fisher.
1:10:44
I wanted to thank everybody for considering open primaries as part of the commission's work.
1:10:51
I have recently retired, having served as a director of development for several nonprofits in the city.
1:10:57
On a personal level, I've been an independent for most of my voting life.
1:11:02
Despite the fact that I grew up Irish Catholic in Massachusetts during the Kennedy era.
1:11:07
And early on, I was also a registered Democrat.
1:11:13
As I learned more about politics, I realized that neither party really truly represented me, and I became an independent.
1:11:21
Unfortunately, because of the closed primaries, at the beginning of the year, I felt so strongly about the upcoming mayoral election that I reluctantly decided for the first time in decades to register as a democrat.
1:11:35
I shouldn't have to be a member of a party to ex ex exercise my constitutional right to vote in our elections.
1:11:43
New York thrives on diversity.
1:11:45
It's one of our greatest strengths.
1:11:47
It's a city of millions of voices speaking different languages, carrying different stories, and shaping different visions for our future.
1:11:55
Yet when it comes to local elections, too many voices are silenced before the general election even begins.
1:12:03
Every voice should count not just at the finish line, but at the start of the democratic process.
1:12:09
I'm not gonna go through all the statistics that everybody's already gone through.
1:12:14
But, you know, particularly important, in a city like New York where Democrats outnumber Republicans two to one, many races are essentially decided in the primary.
1:12:26
Open primaries would ensure that every voter, regardless of party affiliation, has the right to participate in shaping our government.
1:12:33
And this reform, as many people have spoken about, will encourage greater political engagement, reduce extreme partisanship, and lead to elected officials who represent all New Yorkers, not just those belonging to a single party.
1:12:48
You know, I think as as I think about it more, I think about there was probably a time in our history where being a Republican or Democrat was what people did.
1:13:01
I think that now it's pretty clear that's an outdated system, and we need to find a way to have everybody being able to participate in all levels of our elections.
1:13:13
The heart of democracy is choice.
1:13:16
In these times, democracy is more important than ever.
1:13:20
We need leadership that reflects the full spectrum of voices in our city.
1:13:25
New York City is a global leader in innovation, inclusion, and progress, and we should be leaders in democracy as well.
1:13:35
Open primaries help us come closer to ensuring that every vote counts, every perspective is heard, and every community is represented.
1:13:44
I ask you, the members of the commission, to make democracy in New York City as welcome, vibrant, diverse,
Sharon Greenberger
1:13:53
and
Melissa Fisher
1:13:53
open as the city itself.