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TESTIMONY
Testimony by Susan Lerner from Common Cause New York on the divisiveness of the jungle primary proposal
2:56:15
·
3 min
Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause New York, speaks about the controversy surrounding the "jungle primary" proposal.
She expresses frustration that the concept of open primaries has become conflated with the jungle primary model, which she says is about "hostility to organized people."
She argues that this divisiveness is making it harder for good government groups to build a consensus around a better solution, such as semi-open primaries, and asks the commission not to place the current proposal on the ballot.
- Lerner argues that the "jungle primary" model is designed to undercut the ability of everyday New Yorkers to organize.
- She is frustrated that this specific, controversial model has been conflated with the broader concept of open primaries.
- She states that many nonpartisan partner groups do not want to be forced to oppose the proposal and need more time to research and build consensus around a different model.
- She suggests that if the concern is truly about unaffiliated voters, a semi-open primary system would be a less polarizing solution.
Susan Lerner
2:56:15
Hi.
2:56:15
Thank you.
2:56:16
I wasn't planning to testify, but a couple of things have come up that I wanted to to, speak about.
2:56:22
The first is the question of cost.
2:56:25
Of course, it will be more expensive to run a campaign with a larger electorate, even though we know that candidates will still be able to focus on the most likely voters.
2:56:36
Because when you are looking at the unaffiliated voters, you're able to tell whether they are high propensity or not.
2:56:44
But with a larger number, you will have more costs in order to to campaign.
2:56:50
And because with a larger number of candidates, the academic research shows with the jungle primary that voters are grasping for some source of information because the usual labels aren't going to work in a primary where you have Democrats running against Democrats or you have a lot of candidates who are making up party names that are unfamiliar to the voters.
2:57:17
So the voters then will be much more susceptible to the independent expenditures that we see overtaking our elections.
2:57:25
One of my concerns and one of my frustrations about this process is that there now is in the minds of most individuals a congruence between the concept of open primaries and the jungle primary.
2:57:38
And as we have seen, it is the concept of the jungle primary which has really brought people out to say, wait a second.
2:57:45
This is undercutting the ability of everyday New Yorkers to organize.
2:57:50
A jungle primary is about hostility to organized people.
2:57:54
It is to leave each voter on their own.
2:57:57
And for those of us who want to have a broader community based discussion about open primaries, this congress makes it that much harder.
2:58:06
We have talked to our partners, groups like the Chinese American Planning Council, Mingkuan Council, the Mingkuan Community Center, and the APA voice that they represent.
2:58:19
And countless number of groups that I believe will, if they don't get to testify by Zoom tonight because we're running out of time, will be, adding their voice through written comments, have said to us, we need more time.
2:58:34
We want to build a consensus around the unaffiliated voters.
2:58:39
But I would like to point out that if we are really, again, I will say, concerned about the unaffiliated voters, we could go to a semi open primary.
2:58:48
We could allow organizing to continue around the primaries, and the unaffiliated voters would be able to be heard.
2:58:56
But that is not what is being discussed.
2:58:59
And, therefore, this is extremely polarizing, and it makes the work of those of us who seek to build a community based consensus that much harder.
2:59:09
And we ask you not to place this on the ballot so that we can undo some of the negativity and build truly broad based support.
2:59:18
I would also point out that you've not heard from the academics who have told me personally that their research shows that an open primary system does not make much difference.
2:59:30
So Seth Muscat and We're
Richard R. Buery Jr.
2:59:34
at we're at top.
Susan Lerner
2:59:35
Gregory Huber at Yale have important things to say on this topic.
Richard R. Buery Jr.
2:59:39
And, certainly, anyone should submit testimony who's interested.