Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
TESTIMONY
Testimony by Leon Bell from the New York State Nurses Association against open primaries
2:45:55
·
3 min
Leon Bell, Public Policy Director with the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), testifies in opposition to the open primary proposal.
He argues that declining voter participation is not caused by the primary system but by the vast expansion of unregulated super PAC funding and dark money in elections.
He believes that an open primary system will only accelerate the influence of wealthy and corporate interests, making it harder for unions and other groups to fight back.
- Bell states that NYSNA opposes the adoption of an open primary process.
- He attributes declining voter turnout to the influence of "dark money" and super PACs, not the closed primary system.
- He fears that open primaries will increase the power of wealthy corporate interests in local elections.
- He also argues that political parties are an important pillar of democracy that would be undermined by this proposal.
Leon Bell
2:45:55
Good evening.
2:45:56
My name is Leon Bell, and I'm the public policy director with the New York State Nurses Association.
2:46:01
NYSNA represents 42,000 frontline nurses across the city for collective bargaining, and we're a leading advocate for universal health coverage, safe patient care, and workplace rights of nurses and other health care workers.
2:46:14
We're here today to express our opposition to the proposal to adopt an open primary process in New York City elections.
2:46:21
NISL members actively work in the primary and the general elections to promote candidates that are aligned with our legislative and political priorities.
2:46:30
While we understand that voter participation rates in local primaries are lower than in general elections, we do not agree that this is largely or solely attributable to the current party based primary system.
2:46:43
Voter participation in local elections has always been lower than in federal and state races.
2:46:48
We also note that participation rates generally have been declining at all levels.
2:46:53
There are many factors contributing to this phenomenon, but the current party based primary system is not the, major contributing cause.
2:47:02
And then we would note closed primary primaries were also in effect during earlier historical periods participation rates were much higher.
2:47:11
We believe that a major cause of declining voter participation and one that you have not adequately addressed in your proposals around open primaries lies in the vast expansion of unregulated super PAC funding and the role of corporations and the ultra wealthy in flooding our elections with dark money.
2:47:30
The impact of Citizens United and other Supreme Court decisions ruling that corporations are people and that money is a form of speech have tilted our elections in an undemocratic direction, making voters less willing to engage in political activity, raising voter perceptions that the system is rigged, and posing a threat to democracy itself.
2:47:51
This money inundates voters with false or misleading advertising and messaging and turns people off to the electoral process.
2:48:00
Changing the current party based primary system, whatever its shortcomings, will only accelerate the growing power and influence the wealthy and corporate business interests in our elections and make it more difficult for nurses, unions, political parties, and other opponents of policies that favor big business interests to effectively fight back.
2:48:19
The commission also fails to recognize the importance of political parties in a democratic system.
2:48:25
Opening primaries would essentially result in the candidates of parties being chosen by members who are not members of those parties or are even members of opposing parties.
2:48:37
Party organizations are a means for people without access to money to fight back against more powerful interests by disseminating their ideas and generating mass support.
2:48:46
Moving to an open primary system will under undermine or eliminate this important pillar of our democracy.
2:48:53
Billionaires and corporate dark money pools already have too much influence and outright control over the economy and our government.
2:48:59
And given the current political, economic, and social context, if I may finish my sentence, we should not be making it easier for these antidemocratic interests to buy control of local political offices.
2:49:10
We urge you to reject that proposal.