Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
TESTIMONY
Testimony by Carl Unegbu, Member of Manhattan Community Board 12, on open primaries and voter turnout
1:02:29
·
4 min
Carl Unegbu, a member of Manhattan Community Board 12 and Vice Chair of the American Conservation Society (testifying in a personal capacity), speaks on voting methods and electoral systems in New York City.
He highlights the chronic low voter turnout and supports ranked-choice voting complemented by open primaries, particularly for New York City due to its one-party dominance. Unegbu argues that closed primaries disenfranchise unaffiliated voters and those from other parties, and that open primaries would introduce competitiveness, motivate candidates to engage more with voters, and encourage voter participation.
- Low voter turnout in NYC elections is a significant concern.
- Supports ranked-choice voting paired with open primaries for city elections.
- Argues that NYC's near one-party state status makes closed primaries particularly problematic, as they disenfranchise many voters from the decisive election.
- Believes open primaries would increase competitiveness and voter engagement.
Sharon Greenberger
1:02:29
Please go ahead and pull the mic close to you.
Carl Unegbu
1:02:34
Good afternoon.
Sharon Greenberger
1:02:35
Little bit closer.
Carl Unegbu
1:02:36
Close.
1:02:38
Thank you for having me.
1:02:40
My name is Carl.
1:02:42
Hold on.
Ben Weinberg
1:02:48
I serve
Carl Unegbu
1:02:50
I serve on the community board in Manhattan, but and I also I am the vice chair of the American Conservation Society, but I have to say right now that I am not here as a representative that organization.
Sharon Greenberger
1:03:13
I think if you just stay close and keep talking, it should pick pick up on you.
Carl Unegbu
1:03:18
Oh, it does.
Sharon Greenberger
1:03:24
Or we'll switch it.
Diane Savino
1:03:29
You'll be dying.
Carl Unegbu
1:03:32
Yeah.
1:03:33
Thanks.
1:03:34
So but I have paid attention these issues in the various capacities that I have worked in the past, whether as a functionary of the Democratic Party or in my other situations where I did some research on this kind of issue.
1:03:58
So I am here in that capacity, not as a representative of the constitution society.
1:04:04
So first of all, my take on this thing is to I mean, first, much of the concern about voting methods and the innovation about electoral systems springs from the low turnout in New York elections, which at this point is very chronic and abysmal.
1:04:28
I mean, New Yorkers, they tend to pay more attention to things happening in Washington in terms of their voting pattern than voting in New York City elections, New York City where they live.
1:04:43
So that's the problem.
1:04:44
Now I support in my think pieces that I have written.
1:04:51
Wrong choice voting to be complemented by open primaries.
1:04:58
Well, the passion with which I advocate to see each this combination depends on the jurisdiction that I I am talking about.
1:05:09
I am not so concerned about franchise voting and open primaries at the federal level as much as I am concerned about that in New York City for two very clear reasons.
1:05:23
One, New York City is almost like a one party state.
1:05:28
I mean, the city got sort of red in the last presidential election, sort of more red, but still, it is a safely blue state.
1:05:37
And if I were running for anything, I'll be happier with my chances as a democrat than as a republican in any election in the city.
1:05:47
So for that reason, the system we have here of closed primaries is a particular problem because the folks who are unaffiliated or folks who are republicans, democrats as the case may be, usually don't get to participate in the primaries especially of the democratic party for instance which usually turns out to be the decisive election in the city.
1:06:13
So to that extent, they get disenfranchised when it comes to making an input in the direction of public policy.
1:06:22
So that's a real problem.
1:06:23
Now, to open up the primaries would introduce an element of competitiveness.
1:06:30
With competitiveness comes some kind of uncertainty of the outcome which then motivates candidates to engage more with the voters and for the voters to really care about the election in the first place.
1:06:45
So for those reasons, I kind of think that New York City should adopt an open primary system to enhance voter participation.
1:06:55
And I guess I'll be more inclined to answer my questions and start with
Sharon Greenberger
1:06:59
so much.