Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
TESTIMONY
Testimony by Ed Brady, a veteran, on the need for inclusive primaries
3:55:58
·
3 min
Ed Brady, a military veteran and lifelong independent, testifies in favor of what he calls "inclusive" or "open" primaries, rejecting the "jungle primary" label.
He notes that half of all American veterans are independents who fight for democracy abroad only to be excluded from it at home.
He strongly supports a top-two non-partisan primary using RCV, calling it a fair and well-tested system that will bring New York's primary system up to date.
- Brady, a Navy veteran, emphasizes that he is supporting "inclusive" primaries, not "jungle" primaries.
- He points out that 50% of U.S. veterans are registered as independents.
- He compares being old enough to be sent to fight but not old enough to vote, which led to the 26th amendment, to the current exclusion of independents.
- He asks the commission to give all New Yorkers a chance to vote on this reform in November.
Jeff Aaron
3:55:58
Hello.
3:55:59
My name is Jeff Aaron.
3:56:00
I'm very proud and pleased to be here, and I wanna thank you all so much for the hard work you've been doing on behalf of our democracy, which is something that I believe deeply in and since I was a child.
3:56:19
Campaigning for civil rights, campaigning against the war, in Vietnam, campaigning for various, progressive causes.
3:56:31
I've I've always had faith in the capacity of the people of this country, to make decisions about what's best for them.
3:56:41
I've never voted for a Democrat or a Republican in my life.
3:56:48
I'm not a Democrat.
3:56:50
I'm not a Republican.
3:56:52
And during this current election, there was I've received so many calls where people would call me up and say, well, it this is such an important election.
3:57:03
All you need to do is switch your vote switch your registration so you can vote, and then you can switch back to being an independent.
3:57:11
And I just found that so immoral.
3:57:13
That wasn't the Democratic Party organizing its constituency.
3:57:18
That was attempting to wrangle independent voters to become Democrats.
3:57:24
It's kind of immoral and creepy.
3:57:27
And I just really resented that as a progressive, as a as a progressive Jew.
3:57:32
I wanted to vote for Mandami.
3:57:35
I really did.
3:57:36
And every time they would pass me by and say, can you vote for Mandami?
3:57:42
I'd I'd love to, but I'm an independent.
3:57:44
I can't.
3:57:45
As I believe in bringing people together, Jews and Muslims and all people, I was just I felt helpless to actually direct, you know, to offer my support for causes that I believed in.
3:58:03
I don't like the fact that I'm being cut out of the decision making process here in New York and that people, wherever there is closed primaries, are cut out of.
3:58:14
And that we you know, Fiorello da LaGuardia said there isn't a Republican or a Democratic way to collect the garbage.
3:58:22
It's not exactly clear to me why you need a Democratic or a Republican primary in order to determine the fate of our city.
3:58:32
Let all people vote regardless of their poll their their party affiliation.
3:58:39
As a progressive person, as as a progressive Jew who wants to build connections with people around the city, I don't appreciate the fact that the parties parties that I don't believe in are trying to manipulate and organize my vote.
3:58:58
I'd like to be able to vote.