Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
TESTIMONY
Testimony by independent mayoral candidate Jim Walden on the need for open primaries
1:15:31
·
3 min
Jim Walden, an independent candidate for mayor, testifies in strong support of open primaries.
Speaking as a longtime good government advocate, he argues that the current closed system stifles competition and excludes the city's one million unaffiliated voters.
He believes open primaries would foster inclusiveness, competitiveness, and engagement, giving a voice to the young people, people of color, and veterans who are often shut out of the process.
- Walden frames open primaries as a crucial reform for inclusiveness, allowing the one million unaffiliated voters in NYC to participate.
- He argues that the current system protects the two-party duopoly and stifles competition from independent candidates.
- He notes that the people most excluded by closed primaries are the very groups needed to build a healthy democracy: young people, people of color, and veterans.
Jim Walden
1:15:31
Well, thank you very much for hearing my voice.
1:15:34
And as some of you may know, but maybe not everyone, I'm running for mayor as an independent.
1:15:39
But I'm really not here tonight as a mayoral candidate, although I would be thrilled to talk to you in as a first time candidate, having gone through the cycle that I've gone through now, the dramatic impact that our current system has on the voice of independence.
1:15:54
I'm here as someone who, for twenty three years, has fought for good government at every level, whether it's the federal level, the state level, or the local level.
1:16:06
I brought more cases than I can imagine.
1:16:08
Many of them are about protecting our democracy, and I've seen things that curl my toes, voter manipulation, gerrymandering, all of the ways in which the two party system, regardless of who the majority party is, seeks to stifle competition.
1:16:27
You have an opportunity that can be defined by inclusiveness, competitiveness, and engagement.
1:16:35
And I hate to use an acronym that's not a good one, but it's ICE.
1:16:38
So sorry about that.
1:16:39
That was unintentional.
1:16:41
And I'd ask you to think about the stakes here, and I do appreciate all the work that you've done.
1:16:48
On inclusiveness, you know that there are now a million unaffiliated voters in the city of New York.
1:16:55
Not one of them can vote in the primary.
1:16:57
I just heard speakers talk about voices being heard and uplifting voices.
1:17:02
What about the million independents, unaffiliated voters who cannot vote like me?
1:17:08
I left my party in 02/2006.
1:17:10
I have not been able to vote in a single primary.
1:17:13
If we are a city that believes in inclusiveness, we have to talk the talk and walk the walk, and the only way that we can get there is with open primaries.
1:17:21
Competitiveness.
1:17:23
I cannot tell you the number of times that I've been told you can't win in New York City as an independent.
1:17:29
Historical examples are ignored.
1:17:32
It is present in every possible way in our system.
1:17:37
You can level the playing field so that it may very well be that in an open two system, only two Democrats emerge.
1:17:45
But at least the independents will have a meaningful chance to get the kind of support they need before the race is essentially declared over because of the primary system.
1:17:58
And finally, on engagement.
1:18:00
Who is being excluded in the roughly million independents in this city?
1:18:07
The very people that we need to build our democracy, young people, people of color, veterans, and most importantly, people who do not want hyperpartisanship.
1:18:22
And we are at a crossroads in our country where the worst polling party is the two party system.
1:18:29
Right?
1:18:29
Whether you're in a red state or a blue state, a red city or a blue city, the polls show that people don't trust the system.
1:18:36
You can level set that by doing what I believe you intend to do and you know is the right thing to do for civic engagement and good government, and that's open the primary system.
1:18:47
Thank you.