Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
TESTIMONY
Testimony by Richard Ronner on being coerced to change party registration to vote
3:59:32
·
3 min
Richard Ronner, a registered independent, testifies that he reluctantly switched his registration to Democrat to participate in the recent mayoral race, a choice he "didn't like having to do."
He disagrees with both major parties and resents being coerced into joining one to vote in a public election he pays for with his tax dollars.
He believes people who have learned to work the current unfair system want to keep it to maintain their influence and urges the commission to put the open primary proposal on the ballot.
- Ronner switched his registration from independent to Democrat specifically to vote in the mayoral primary.
- He feels the major parties don't represent him and he shouldn't have to join one to vote in a publicly-funded election.
- He suggests that if parties want a closed primary, they can run their own private one.
- He believes the opposition to change comes from those who benefit from the current "unfair and coercive" system.
Ed Brady
3:59:32
Madam vice never mind.
3:59:36
Commissioners.
3:59:38
It's late.
3:59:41
Thank you for your time and for your effort.
3:59:44
I wanna say up top.
3:59:45
My name is Ed Brady, by the way.
3:59:46
I live on the Upper East Side.
3:59:48
You know, there's an old saying, a light can travel halfway around the world before the truth, is putting on its shoes.
3:59:56
And I wanna say for the record, okay, as an independent, I am not and neither are any of my other independents here supporting jungle primaries.
4:00:07
We are here to represent inclusive primaries.
4:00:11
We are here to represent open primaries.
4:00:17
As I said, my name is Ed Brady.
4:00:18
I'm a military veteran.
4:00:19
I served in the Navy from 1975 to 1979.
4:00:23
Nearly all of it stationed on an aircraft carrier.
4:00:25
Like so many of my fellow military veterans, I am a lifelong independent.
4:00:30
I have followed your process very closely and read your reports.
4:00:33
They're superb.
4:00:34
But one thing they miss is my community, my community of veterans.
4:00:39
Half of American veterans are independents.
4:00:42
Half.
4:00:43
We travel abroad to uphold democracy far from our shores only to come home and find ourselves excluded in our own communities.
4:00:51
When we lowered the age to vote from 21 to 18 back in 1971, it was because we believed as a country that if we can be sent to fight, you should be able to vote for the elected representatives making those decisions.
4:01:05
On primary day, I was out in, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn with this with fellow independents protesting our exclusion from voting.
4:01:14
This is one of the signs we carried, and we were joined by folks in four other cities and right here in Harlem.
4:01:20
We we're tired of being shut out of the primaries where most decisions are made and certainly key decisions are made about who will represent our city.
4:01:29
I came today to share two things quickly.
4:01:32
I strongly believe in a top two non partisan primary using RCV is an excellent choice.
4:01:40
It gives all independents the opportunity to participate, and it creates a ballot where all candidates appear for a given office.
4:01:48
It is fair and it is well tested.
4:01:50
We know this already because it works in most cities across the country.
4:01:54
Independent voters are the fastest growing community of voters.
4:01:57
It is where our young people are not registering into the two major parties.
4:02:01
We need to upgrade our primary so they work for all voters, not just the party regulars.
4:02:07
And finally, in closing, please take this opportunity to give all New Yorkers a chance to vote on bringing our primary system up to date this November.
4:02:16
Many independents like me have not had a meaningful vote in decades.
4:02:21
Please don't make us wait any longer.
4:02:23
Then I can look at each one of you in the eye and say thank you for your service.
4:02:31
Thank you very much.