Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
TESTIMONY
Testimony by Kim Svoboda, Member of the Public, on the need for open primaries for independent voters
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Kim Svoboda, a New York City resident and a political independent for 38 years, testifies in strong support of open primaries.
She expresses her frustration at being disenfranchised from primary elections due to her independent status, feeling it prevents her from fulfilling her civic responsibility.
Svoboda believes it is urgent for the commission to act and put open primaries on the ballot, asserting that every citizen has the right to vote in every election.
Kim Svoboda
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I'm Kim Swoboda.
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I'm not an expat.
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I'm an artist.
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I'm a homemaker.
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Lives here in New York City.
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I'm a political independent and have been my entire voting life.
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I like to think of myself as a good citizen.
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I carry my food scraps out to the compost bin.
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I pick up after my dog.
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I pick up after other people's dogs if necessary, and I do volunteer work.
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I recently retired from a not for profit organization that works with inner city youth.
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I believe in civic responsibility.
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So not being able to vote in a primary election because I'm an independent feels like I'm being stopped from participating in my civic responsibility.
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For the last thirty eight years since I've lived in New York, I've been shut out of voting in primary elections.
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I'm not a newcomer to supporting open primaries.
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I've worked on the issue in the past.
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I have petitioned, and I've campaigned.
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Today, I feel it's urgent.
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Now more and more eligible voters are not registering in the party, and I believe every citizen has the right and should be able to vote in every election.
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And I urge the commission to act now and put open time in its.