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TESTIMONY
Testimony by Maria Danzilo from One City Rising in support of open primaries
4:02:40
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177 sec
Maria Danzilo, Executive Director of the good government group One City Rising, testifies in strong support of the proposal for open primaries.
Drawing on her experience as a two-time candidate, she argues that the current closed system is unfair and not inclusive, disenfranchising over a million voters.
She refutes the narrative that the push for this reform is politically motivated by recent events, stating it is a good government movement that has been years in the making.
- Danzilo's group, One City Rising, is a bipartisan group that supports open primaries.
- Her experience running for office showed her firsthand how many people are shut out of the process because they are not registered with a party.
- She pushes back against the idea that this movement is a reaction to the recent election, calling that a "false narrative."
- She believes freedom of association includes the right not to be forced to associate with a party.
Richard Ronner
4:02:40
Thank you very much, commissioners, for your service.
4:02:45
It's been a long slog.
4:02:48
My name is Richard Ronner.
4:02:50
I've been a registered independent.
4:02:55
I think I was a Democrat maybe for a few years at the beginning of my voting career.
4:03:00
But this year, I did the something I haven't yet done.
4:03:04
I switched my registration back to the Democratic party.
4:03:09
I really wanted to be able to participate in this mayoral race.
4:03:13
I think it's very important.
4:03:14
There's a lot at stake.
4:03:17
I was I I'm I don't know.
4:03:20
I'm not ashamed of that.
4:03:21
I'm not proud of it, but I didn't like having to do it.
4:03:27
I have a lot of disagreements with the Democratic party, definitely with the Republican party, but with with both parties.
4:03:33
They don't they don't represent me.
4:03:36
They don't I don't agree with their behavior, with what they do, how they and I don't appreciate, just like Jeff said here, they really manipulated me, coerced me to to change my registration so that I could vote.
4:03:56
I don't appreciate it.
4:03:57
I don't like that.
4:04:01
These are public elections that we all pay for with our tax dollars.
4:04:07
I say to people who are nostalgic about the parties, the democrat, go ahead and run their own private primary if they want.
4:04:18
They can do that too.
4:04:19
You know?
4:04:20
It's it's not only that we can adjust our registration, they can adjust their primaries.
4:04:27
So anyway, I like the proposals.
4:04:32
I've been amazed at the at how controversial these things are.
4:04:38
I think one thing to that I've that I've seen is that people who have learned to work with a an unfair and coarse of system as it as it stands would prefer to keep that unfair and coarse of system so they maintain their their status quo, their influence.
4:05:03
I think we need to move forward, and I think we need many changes to improve our democracy here.
4:05:12
We need more choices, more parties, or something.
4:05:16
The stranglehold of the two major parties is not allowing us to move forward.
4:05:22
So I thank you for your work and for listening to for these many months, all this testimony.
4:05:30
And I I hope you proceed and and put it on the ballot.
4:05:35
Let us all vote on it.
4:05:36
Thanks a lot.